Combining transcranial direct current stimulation with hand robotic rehabilitation in chronic stroke patients: a double blind randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the impact of combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with end-effector robot-assisted treatment (RAT) on upper limb function, spasticity, and hand dexterity in chronic stroke patients. DESIGN: This was a prospective, double-blind randomized trial with 20 equally allocated stroke patients. The experimental group received dual-tDCS (anode over affected M1, cathode over contralateral M1) alongside RAT, while the control group received sham tDCS with the same electrode placement + RAT. Each patient underwent 20 combined tDCS and RAT sessions. The primary outcome measure was the Fugl Meyer Upper Limb motor score (mFM-UL), with secondary outcomes including AMADEO® kinematic measures, Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-rehabilitation, and three months later. RESULTS: Combining bilateral tDCS with RAT did not yield additional improvements in mFM-UL, FIM, or ARAT scores among stroke patients. However, the real tDCS group showed enhanced finger flexion in the affected hand based on AMADEO® kinematic measures. CONCLUSION: The addition of tDCS to RAT did not result in significant overall functional improvements in chronic stroke patients. However, a benefit was observed in finger flexion of the affected hand.

Preliminary study of the increase in health science students' body mass index during the Christmas holidays.

OBJECTIVES: There is a trend toward an increase in body mass index (BMI) among adolescents over the course of the year. This increase in BMI is more pronounced during vacation periods, when healthy habits are relaxed due to the increase in number of social, family, and festive events, with summer being the period with the greatest increase. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in weight during Christmas vacation. Changes in weight, BMI, and waist circumference were evaluated in association with adherence to the Mediterranean diet or a low-fat diet. METHODS: A total of 67 university students participated in this pilot study, 10 men (14.9%) and 57 women (85.1%), with a mean age of 20.37 y (±4.07 y). The first weigh-in was on the day before the start of vacation; there were two more during the vacation and a final one when students returned to the course. RESULTS: In general, a significant increase (P < 0.05) in body weight was found between the first measurement and the ensuing measurements during the holidays. The students with a high-fat diet presented with a more pronounced change in weight, with significant differences being found between weights 1 and 3 and between weights 1 and 4 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The data show that students gained a significant amount of weight during the Christmas holidays. Although the weight gain was not alarming, it does point to the possibility of weight gain among young adults during vacation periods and may reflect what happens in other social strata.

Modified Rapid Emergency Medicine Score-Lactate (mREMS-L) performance to screen non-anticipated 30-day-related-mortality in emergency department.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the ability to predict 30-day in-hospital mortality of lactate versus the modified Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (mREMS) versus the arithmetic sum of the mREMS plus the numerical value of lactate (mREMS-L). METHODS: A prospective, multicentric, emergency department delivery, pragmatic study was conducted. To determine the predictive capacity of the scales, lactate was measured and the mREMS and mREMS-L were calculated in adult patients (aged>18 years) transferred with high priority by ambulance to the emergency department in five hospitals of Castilla y Leon between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of each of the scales was calculated in terms of mortality for 30 days. RESULTS: A total of 5371 participants were included, and the in-hospital mortality rate at 30 days was of 11.4% (615 cases). The best cut-off point determined in the mREMS was 7.0 points (sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 84%), and for lactate, the cut-off point was 1.4 mmol/L (sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 67%). Finally, the combined mREMS-L showed a cut-off point of 7.9 (sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 83%). The area under the ROC curve of the mREMS, lactate and mREMS-L for 30-day mortality was 0.851, 0.853, and 0.903, respectively (p < 0.001 in all cases). CONCLUSIONS: The new score generated, mREMS-L, obtained better statistical results than its components (mREMS and lactate) separately.

Gender Differences in Anxiety, Attitudes, and Fear among Nursing Undergraduates Coping with CPR Training with PPE Kit for COVID.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes, fears, and anxiety level of nursing students faced with a critical clinical simulation (cardiopulmonary reanimation) with and without personal protective equipment (PPE). METHODS: A pilot before-after study as conducted from 21 to 25 June 2021, with 24 students registered in the nursing degree of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM) in the city of Talavera de la Reina (Toledo, Spain). From 520 possible participants, only 24 were selected according to the exclusion and inclusion criteria. The STAI Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a self-evaluation questionnaire, was used to study trait STAI (basal anxiety), trait STAI before CPR, state STAI after CPR, total STAI before CPR, and total STAI after CPR as the main variables. A t-test was used to study the STAI variables according to sex and the physiological values related to the anxiety level of participants. An ANOVA statistical test was used to perform a data analysis of the STAI variables. RESULTS: A total of 54.2% of participants (IC 95% 35.1-72.1) suffered from global anxiety before the cardiopulmonary reanimation maneuvers (CPR). The results of the STAI before CPR maneuvers showed significant differences according to gender in state anxiety (p = 0.04), with a higher level of anxiety in women (22.38 ± 7.69 vs. 15.82 ± 7.18). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates different levels of anxiety in terms of gender suffered by nursing students in high-pressure environments, such as a CPR situation.

The Effect of Visualization Techniques on Students of Occupational Therapy during the First Visit to the Dissection Room.

Background: Part of the basic teaching of human anatomy are prosection sessions with a human corpse, which may generate stress or anxiety among students. The objective of this work was to study how, through the visualization technique (a coping technique), these levels could be reduced before starting prosection classes. Methods: A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted involving first-year students who had never participated in screening sessions. Prior to the visit, occupational therapy students underwent a viewing session (visualization technique). On the day of the visit, before and after the screening session, an anonymous questionnaire was distributed to find out about aspects of the students' experiences, such as their feelings and perceptions. The State−Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to assess anxiety. Results: The baseline levels of anxiety measured remained stable (from 18.5 to 18.2 points), with no differences being found (p > 0.05). The levels of emotional anxiety measured fell from 15.2 to 12.6 points (p < 0.05). Before starting the class, there were six students (17.1%) with anxiety criteria, and this figure was doubled at the end of the session (33.3%) (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Sessions in a dissection room can cause stressful experiences and change the emotional balances of some students. The results obtained and published here showed no significant differences after the visualization technique. We found that the students believed that the prosection sessions were very useful for teaching anatomy.

Comparison of Nine Early Warning Scores for Identification of Short-Term Mortality in Acute Neurological Disease in Emergency Department.

(1) Background: The aim was screening the performance of nine Early Warning Scores (EWS), to identify patients at high-risk of premature impairment and to detect intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, as well as to track the 2-, 7-, 14-, and 28-day mortality in a cohort of patients diagnosed with an acute neurological condition. (2) Methods: We conducted a prospective, longitudinal, observational study, calculating the EWS [Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), National Early Warning Score (NEWS), VitalPAC Early Warning Score (ViEWS), Modified Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (MREMS), Early Warning Score (EWS), Hamilton Early Warning Score (HEWS), Standardised Early Warning Score (SEWS), WHO Prognostic Scored System (WPSS), and Rapid Acute Physiology Score (RAPS)] upon the arrival of patients to the emergency department. (3) Results: In all, 1160 patients were included: 808 patients were hospitalized, 199 cases (17%) required ICU care, and 6% of patients died (64 cases) within 2 days, which rose to 16% (183 cases) within 28 days. The highest area under the curve for predicting the need for ICU admissions was obtained by RAPS and MEWS. For predicting mortality, MREMS obtained the best scores for 2- and 28-day mortality. (4) Conclusions: This is the first study to explore whether several EWS accurately identify the risk of ICU admissions and mortality, at different time points, in patients with acute neurological disorders. Every score analyzed obtained good results, but it is suggested that the use of RAPS, MEWS, and MREMS should be preferred in the acute setting, for patients with neurological impairment.

What emotions do physical therapy students feel during their first visit to the dissection room?

Dissections are a fundamental practical methodology for teaching human anatomy. However, this experience can be stressful, generating anxiety situations among students. This study tries to understand the attitudes, reactions, fears and anxiety state among students earning a physiotherapy degree when facing their first prosection. A cross-sectional before-and-after study was carried out with students who were provided with an anonymous "ad hoc" questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).The values obtained from the total STAI questionnaire remained stable and unchanged during the prosection (p>0.05). The levels of trait anxiety (TA) and state anxiety (SA) remained stable except in female students, who showed higher TA and SA scores, with a significance of p<0.05 before and after the prosection. Although 100% of the students were satisfied with the dissection practices, the experience can provoke stressful responses and should be addressed using coping mechanisms, especially among female students.

The Importance of Optional Practical Anatomy Courses for Undergraduate Speech Therapy Students.

An in-depth understanding of the anatomy discipline is essential for the work of healthcare professionals. In recent decades, the content and time of teaching anatomy have decreased in all health science degrees. The aim of this study was to look for alternatives for compensating the reduction of the teaching of anatomy by supplementing students with a practical training course and to know evaluations of the course given by students enrolled in the degree in Speech Therapy and its impact on their academic results. All students (100%) positively evaluated having acquired skills and attitudes for their future professional life. The majority of the students (95.8%) believed that their knowledge was acceptable; 97.2% of the students thought they would have the possibility to apply their acquired anatomical knowledge as professionals; 98.5% were satisfied with the voluntary course; and finally, the percentage of students that passed the "Anatomophysiology of language and voice organs" course increased from previous academic years. Optional (theoretical/practical) undergraduate courses can be used in parallel to overcome the devaluation of anatomical studies in new curricula. The optional undergraduate anatomy course in the Speech Therapy program has been positively evaluated because it stimulated students' motivation and appealed to their interest in anatomy. Students considered that these courses would help them in their training and they could put what they had learned into practice in their future professions. However, very little evidence for the impact of optional practical courses exists, yet it could be an efficient method to increase anatomical knowledge.

Lactate improves the predictive ability of the National Early Warning Score 2 in the emergency department.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare the ability to predict 2-, 7-, 14-, and 30-day in-hospital mortality of lactate vs the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) vs the arithmetic sum of the NEWS2 plus the numerical value of lactate (NEWS2-L). METHODS: This was a prospective, multicentric, emergency department delivery, pragmatic cohort study. To determine the predictive capacity of lactate, we calculated the NEWS2 and NEWS2-L in adult patients (aged >18 years) transferred with high priority by ambulance to the emergency department in five hospitals of Castilla y Leon (Spain) between November 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of each of the scales was calculated in terms of mortality for every time frame (2, 7, 14, and 30 days). We determined the cut-off point of each scale that offered highest sensitivity and specificity using the Youden index. RESULTS: A total of 1716 participants were included, and the in-hospital mortality rates at 2, 7, 14, and 30 days were of 7.8% (134 cases), 11.6% (200 cases), 14.2% (243 cases), and 17.2% (295 cases), respectively. The best cut-off point determined in the NEWS2 was 6.5 points (sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 59%), and for lactate, the cut-off point was 3.3 mmol/L (sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 72%). Finally, the combined NEWS2-L showed a cut-off point of 11.7 (sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 85%). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the NEWS2, lactate, and NEWS2-L in the validation cohort for 2-day mortality was 0.889, 0.856, and 0.923, respectively (p<0.001 in all cases). CONCLUSIONS: The new score generated, NEWS2-L, obtained better statistical results than its components (NEWS2 and lactate) separately.

How Relevant Is the Place Where First-Year College Students Live in Relation to the Increase in Body Mass Index?

(1) Objective: This study analyzes the evolution of the body mass index (BMI) throughout the academic year associated with changes in the lifestyle associated with the place where students live during the course, lifestyle design, and health strategies for the university community. (2) Methods: A total of 93 first-year nursing students participated in this study. Data were collected throughout the course by administering self-reported questionnaires about eating habits and lifestyles, weight, and height to calculate their BMI and place of residence throughout the course. Data were analyzed using statistical analysis (Mann-Whitney, chi-square, Student's t-test, repeated-measures analysis of variance, and least significant difference tests). (3) Results: We found that the mean BMI increases significantly throughout the course among all students regardless of sex, age, eating habits, or where they live during the course. At the beginning of the course, the mean BMI was 22.10 ± 3.64. The mean difference between the beginning of the course and the middle has a value of p-value < 0.015 and between the middle of the course and the end a p-value < 0.009. The group that increased the most is found among students who continue to live in the family nucleus rather than those who live alone or in residence. Students significantly changed their eating and health habits, especially those who live alone or in residence. (4) Conclusions: There is an increase in BMI among students. It is necessary to carry out seminars or talks that can help students understand the importance of good eating practices and healthy habits to maintain their weight and, therefore, their health, in the short, medium, and long term and acquire a good quality of life.

Early detection of intensive care needs and mortality risk by use of five early warning scores in patients with traumatic injuries: An observational study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the predictive capacity of five Early Warning Scores in relation to the clinical evolution of adult patients with different types of trauma. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: We conducted a longitudinal, prospective, observational study, calculating the Early Warning Scores [Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS-2), VitalPAC Early Warning Score (ViEWS), Modified Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (MREMS), and Rapid Acute Physiology Score (RAPS)] upon arrival of patients to the emergency department. SETTING: In total, 445 cases of traumatic injuries were included in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The predictive capacity was verified with the data on admission to intensive care units (ICU) and mortality at two, seven and 30 days. RESULTS: 201 patients were hospitalized and 244 were discharged after being attended in the emergency department. 91 cases (20.4%) required ICU care and 4.7% of patients died (21 patients) within two days, 6.5% (29 patients) within seven days and 9.7% (43 patients) within 30 days. The highest area under the curve for predicting the need for ICU care was obtained by the National Early Warning Score 2 and the VitalPAC Early Warning Score. For predicting mortality, the Modified Rapid Emergency Medicine Score obtained the best scores for two-day mortality, seven-day mortality and 30-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Every Early Warning Score analyzed in this study obtained good results in predicting adverse effects in adult patients with traumatic injuries, creating an opportunity for new clinical applications in the emergency department.

Correlation between three assessment pain tools in subacromial pain syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the correlation of Visual Analog Scale with pain subsections of Shoulder Pain and Disability Index and Constant-Murley Score in subacromial pain syndrome patients. DESIGN: Single cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: Hospital Rehabilitation Department. METHODS: The assessment tools were applied at baseline. Correlations between Visual Analog Scale, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index and Constant-Murley Score pain subsections were assessed by Pearson correlation coefficient. Linear regression models were calculated between scales. Statistical significance was set at two-sided p < 0.05. RESULTS: Forty-three patients were included. Pearson's correlation between assessments was for Visual Analog Scale-Shoulder Pain Disability Index-pain (r = 0.61, p < 0.001) and for Visual Analog Scale-Constant Murley Score-pain were (r = -0.74, p < 0.001). Visual Analog Scale-Shoulder Pain and Disability Index-pain determination coefficient was r2 = 0.37 and r2 = 0.54 for Visual Analog Scale-Constant-Murley Score-pain. CONCLUSIONS: Visual Analog Scale showed better correlation with Constant Murley Score-pain than with Shoulder Pain and Disability Index-pain in subacromial pain syndrome patients.

Clinical Utility of Delta Lactate for Predicting Early In-Hospital Mortality in Adult Patients: A Prospective, Multicentric, Cohort Study.

One of the challenges in the emergency department (ED) is the early identification of patients with a higher risk of clinical deterioration. The objective is to evaluate the prognostic capacity of ΔLA (correlation between prehospital lactate (pLA) and hospital lactate (hLA)) with respect to in-hospital two day mortality. We conducted a pragmatic, multicentric, prospective and blinded-endpoint study in adults who consecutively attended and were transported in advanced life support with high priority from the scene to the ED. The corresponding area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) was obtained for each of the outcomes. In total, 1341 cases met the inclusion criteria. The median age was 71 years (interquartile range: 54-83 years), with 38.9% (521 cases) females. The total 2 day mortality included 106 patients (7.9%). The prognostic precision for the 2 day mortality of pLA and hLA was good, with an AUROC of 0.800 (95% CI: 0.74-0.85; p < 0.001) and 0.819 (95% CI: 0.76-0.86; p < 0.001), respectively. Of all patients, 31.5% (422 cases) had an ΔLA with a decrease of <10%, of which a total of 66 patients (15.6%) died. A lactate clearance ≥ 10% is associated with a lower risk of death in the ED, and this value could potentially be used as a guide to determine if a severely injured patient is improving in response to the established treatment.

Role of qSOFA and SOFA Scoring Systems for Predicting In-Hospital Risk of Deterioration in the Emergency Department.

The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the usefulness of quick sequential organ failure assessment score (qSOFA) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores for the detection of early (two-day) mortality in patients transported by emergency medical services (EMSs) to the emergency department (ED) (infectious and non-infectious). We performed a multicentric, prospective and blinded end-point study in adults transported with high priority by ambulance from the scene to the ED with the participation of five hospitals. For each score, the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated. We included 870 patients in the final cohort. The median age was 70 years (IQR 54-81 years), and 338 (38.8%) of the participants were women. Two-day mortality was 8.3% (73 cases), and 20.9% of cases were of an infectious pathology. For two-day mortality, the qSOFA presented an AUC of 0.812 (95% CI: 0.75-0.87; p < 0.001) globally with a sensitivity of 84.9 (95% CI: 75.0-91.4) and a specificity of 69.4 (95% CI: 66.1-72.5), and a SOFA of 0.909 (95% CI: 0.86-0.95; p < 0.001) with sensitivity of 87.7 (95% CI: 78.2-93.4) and specificity of 80.7 (95% CI: 77.4-83.3). The qSOFA score can serve as a simple initial assessment to detect high-risk patients, and the SOFA score can be used as an advanced tool to confirm organ dysfunction.

Occupational Psychosocial Factors in Primary Care Continuing Care Staff.

This involves studying the psychosocial factors among the emergencies staff of primary care and seeing if there are differences with the primary health care staff at the Primary Care of the Integrated Care Management of Talavera de la Reina (Spain). Descriptive epidemiological study of type transversal. They have participated 51 emergencies staff of primary care and 50 primary health professionals from a sample of urban and rural health centres. The F-Psico 3.1 questionnaire has been used to evaluate the nine psychosocial risk factors. The emergencies staff quantify the psychosocial factors of working time (19.6 SD 5.7) and autonomy (69.8 SD 23.2) as a higher risk situation compared to the other health care staff with 3.7 SD 4, 7 and 52.1 SD 21.8, respectively (p < 0.05). In addition, the role performance is valued as a lower risk situation by the emergencies staff of primary care (p < 0.05). The workload assessment is the only difference between the emergencies staff of primary care in urban centres (61.5 SD 17.6) and rural (45.2 SD 18.4) (p < 0.05). Women have the highest workload (p < 0.05). It is necessary to apply preventive measures and policies applicable to women who work in emergencies, especially in urban areas to reduce their workload.

How Health Habits Influence the Physiological Response During a Physical Activity in Extreme Temperatures?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to determine to what degree the health habits of university students influence their physiological response during a 10-min high-intensity exercise. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional cohort study with 59 health science students, in which we analyzed their adherence to a Mediterranean and low-fat diet, as well as their activity levels. We correlated these factors with the physiological response (lactic acid and heart rate) and a series of anthropometric parameters in intense physical activity (cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for 10 min) in three scenarios: extreme cold, extreme heat and a control situation at room temperature. RESULTS: The results of this study demonstrate that in university students, a greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a better response to physical exercise, in this case, 10-min CPR, in hostile environments. CONCLUSIONS: Following healthy eating guidelines improves physical performance and delays the appearance of fatigue; both are important aspects for a better performance of CPR.

Physiological Response of Quality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Crossover Trial on Mannequin in Extreme Temperature Conditions.

BACKGROUND: To determine the relationship between physiological fatigue and the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in trained resuscitators in hostile thermal environments (extreme cold and heat) simulating the different conditions found in an out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest. METHODS: Prospective observational study involving 60 students of the health sciences with training in resuscitation, who simulated CPR on a mannequin for 10 min in different thermal environments: thermo-neutral environment (21 °C and 60% humidity), heat environment (41 °C and 98% humidity) and cold environment (-35 °C and 80% humidity). Physiological parameters (heart rate and lactic acid) and CPR quality were monitored. RESULTS: We detected a significant increase in the number of compressions per minute in the "heat environment" group after three minutes and in the mean rate after one minute. We observed a negative correlation between the total number of compressions and mean rate with respect to mean depth. The fraction of compressions (proportion of time in which chest compressions are carried out) was significant over time and the mean rate was higher in the "heat environment". Physiological parameters revealed no differences in heart rate depending on the resuscitation scenario; however, there was a greater and faster increase in lactate in the "heat environment" (significant at minute 3). The total proportion of participants reaching metabolic fatigue was also higher in the "heat environment". CONCLUSIONS: A warm climate modifies metabolic parameters, reducing the quality of the CPR maneuver.

Do Rescuers' Physiological Responses and Anxiety Influence Quality Resuscitation under Extreme Temperatures?

Teaching and training cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) through simulation is a priority in Health Sciences degrees. Although CPR is taught as a simulation, it can still be stressful for the trainees since it resembles a real-life circumstance. The aim of this study was to assess the physiological effects and anxiety levels of health sciences undergraduates when faced with CPR process in different temperatures (room temperature, extremely cold, or extremely warm). This was a descriptive cross-sectional before-after study conducted during the 2018/2019 academic year with 59 students registered in the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM). State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaires were distributed among the students before and after the CPR simulation. We found greater level of situational anxiety in undergraduates faced with extreme adverse temperature scenarios (extreme heat and cold), especially in conditions of extreme heat compared to controlled environment (at room temperature). We discovered differences regarding sex, in which men scored 6.4 ± 5.55 points (STAI after CPR score) and women scored 10.4 ± 7.89 points (STAI after CPR score). Furthermore, there was less lactate in blood, before and during the event in individuals with anxiety. In addition, beginning in Minute 7, we observed a remarkable decrease (but not significant) in the performance of rescuers with anxiety. Programs targeted at promoting coping mechanisms to reduce anxiety before a critical clinic situation should be implemented in academic training.

Anxiety levels among health sciences students during their first visit to the dissection room.

BACKGROUND: The teaching of human anatomy is often based on practices of cadaver dissection and prosected specimens. However, exposure to human cadavers might be stressful and anxiety-inducing for students. The aim of this study is to explore the degree of satisfaction and anxiety among first-year students in the Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and Nursing programmes at the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) who are experiencing their first dissection/prosection practice to develop stress coping strategies. METHODS: A total of 204 health sciences students participated in this study. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to evaluate anxiety. RESULTS: 'State Anxiety' (SA) decreased significantly throughout the course (p < 0.05), from 20.7 ± 19.29 to 13.7 ± 11.65 points. Statistical differences (p < 0.05) in SA were found between the different health sciences, and pre-practice SA was significantly different from post-practice SA. The students with the highest pre-practice SA levels were nursing students (31.8 ± 33.7 points), but medical students had the highest post-practice SA levels (18.4 ± 12.82 points). CONCLUSIONS: Although students were satisfied with dissection practices (96.8% of them recommended that the practices be retained for future courses), the experience can provoke stressful responses that must be addressed using advanced preparation and coping mechanisms, especially among medical and nursing students.

Role of Biomarkers in the Prediction of Serious Adverse Events after Syncope in Prehospital Assessment: A Multi-Center Observational Study.

Syncope is defined as the nontraumatic, transient loss of awareness of rapid onset, short duration and with complete spontaneous recovery, and accounts for 1%-3% of all visits to the emergency department. The objective of this study was to evaluate the predictive capacity of the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) and prehospital lactate (pLA), individually and combined, at the prehospital level to detect patients with syncope at risk of early mortality (within 48 h) in the hospital environment. A prospective, multicenter cohort study without intervention was carried out on syncope patients aged over 18 who were given advanced life support and taken to the hospital. Our study included a total of 361 cases. Early mortality affected 21 patients (5.8%). The combined score formed by the NEWS2 and the pLA (NEWS2-L) obtained an AUC of 0.948 (95% CI: 0.88-1) and an odds ratio of 86.25 (95% CI: 11.36-645.57), which is significantly higher than that obtained by the NEWS2 or pLA in isolation (p = 0.018). The NEWS2-L can help stratify the risk in patients with syncope treated in the prehospital setting, with only the standard measurement of physiological parameters and pLA.