Propiedades psicométricas del Eating Attitudes Test-26 en escolares españoles / Psychometric properties of the Eating Attitudes Test-26 in Spanish schoolchildren

Introducción: Las Actitudes y los Comportamientos Alimentarios Desordenados (DEAB, por sus siglas en inglés) pueden afectar tanto a la salud mental como física en los niños/as. Su detección temprana es crucial para prevenir complicaciones y mejorar las posibilidades de recuperación. El Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) es una herramienta ampliamente utilizada para evaluar las DEAB debido a su costo/efectividad.ObjetivoEvaluar las propiedades psicométricas del EAT-26, analizando la estructura factorial, la consistencia interna, la validez convergente e invarianza de medida entre ambos sexos en escolares españoles.MétodoEstudio instrumental con una muestra de 718 escolares. La muestra se dividió aleatoriamente en 2 grupos, cada uno con 359 participantes, realizando un análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) y un análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC). Posteriormente, se estimó la consistencia interna con el alfa ordinal, la validez convergente con el cuestionario SCOFF y la invarianza de medida entre ambos sexos.ResultadosLos hallazgos del AFE y AFC respaldaron una estructura multidimensional del EAT, compuesta por 6 factores y 21 ítems. Estos factores subyacen en un modelo de segundo orden de las DEAB. La consistencia interna fue suficiente para la mayoría de los factores. Se mostró una validez convergente moderada con el cuestionario SCOFF para la mayoría de los factores. Se alcanzó una invarianza estricta entre ambos sexos. (AU)

Introduction: Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviours (DEABs) can impact both the mental and physical health of children. Early detection is crucial to prevent complications and improve outcomes. The Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) is a widely used, cost-effective tool for assessing DEABs.ObjectiveTo evaluate the psychometric properties of the EAT-26 by analysing its factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, and measurement invariance across sexes in Spanish schoolchildren.MethodValidation study in a sample of 718 schoolchildren. The sample was randomly divided into two groups, each with 359 participants, and we carried out an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the instrument. Subsequently, for the total sample, we assessed the internal consistency by means of the ordinal alpha, the convergent validity with the SCOFF questionnaire and the measurement invariance between the sexes.ResultsThe results of the EFA and CFA supported a multidimensional structure of the EAT comprising six factors and 21 items. These factors underlie a second-order model of DEABs. The internal consistency was adequate for most factors. The SCOFF questionnaire showed a moderate convergent validity for most factors. We found strict invariance across the sexes. (AU)

Autonomy of Nursing Students: Methodological Study of Validation of the PALOP Scale Portuguese Short Version.

The cultivation of critical thinking and decision-making skills promotes student autonomy. Only a few instruments measure nursing students' autonomy, and the PALOP® Scale is one of them. This study aimed to semantically and culturally adapt the PALOP® Scale to European Portuguese and assess the psychometric properties of a short version. A methodological study was conducted with 530 second and fourth-year undergraduate nursing students. Content validity was assessed using exploratory and discriminant factor analysis, and reliability was determined through analyses of internal consistency, temporal stability, and floor and ceiling effects. The analysis of the psychometric properties of a short version of the PALOP®-PT Scale revealed complete agreement (100%) among panel members for content validity. The scale also showed discriminative capacity among second- and fourth-year students (t (528) = -7.907, p < 0.001) with a five-factor structure, with a total explained variance of 57.2%. Reliability analysis showed excellent internal consistency (α = 0.935) and moderate temporal stability (95% ICC (3.1) = 0.520 [0.290-0.693], p < 0.01). The short version of the PALOP®-PT Scale is a promising tool to assess nursing students' perceived autonomy and identify necessary adjustments to their professional identity.

Whole Sequencing and Detailed Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Genomes in Southeast Spain: Identification of Recurrent Mutations in the 20E (EU1) Variant with Some Clinical Implications.

During the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, new waves have been associated with new variants and have the potential to escape vaccinations. Therefore, it is useful to conduct retrospective genomic surveillance research. Herein, we present a detailed analysis of 88 SARS-CoV-2 genomes belonging to samples taken from COVID-19 patients from October 2020 to April 2021 at the "Reina Sofía" Hospital (Murcia, Spain) focused to variant appeared later. The results at the mentioned stage show the turning point since the 20E (EU1) variant was still prevalent (71.6%), but Alpha was bursting to 14.8%. Concern mutations have been found in 5 genomes classified as 20E (EU1), which were not characteristic of this still little evolved variant. Most of those mutations are found in the spike protein, namely Δ69-70, E484K, Q675H and P681H. However, a relevant deletion in ORF1a at positions 3675-3677 was also identified. These mutations have been reported in many later SARS-CoV-2 lineages, including Omicron. Taken together, our data suggest that preferential emergence mutations could already be present in the early converging evolution. Aside from this, the molecular information has been contrasted with clinical data. Statistical analyses suggest that the correlation between age and severity criteria is significantly higher in the viral samples with more accumulated changes.

Review: Methods to determine offal adulteration in meat products to support enforcement and food security.

Offal tissues carry a lower market value compared to skeletal meats in some global markets. The inclusion of offal in any meat product in the EU and UK must be declared on the label. While many technologies have been applied to the challenge of determining adulteration with offal in meat products, no single method has been recognised and validated as a reliable test to support legislative requirements. This literature review investigated appropriate methods to determine the adulteration of meat with offal. The aim was to identify technologies suitable for future validation to underpin a high throughput, low-cost method suitable for application by enforcement laboratories. Considering all of the methods, technologies which determine elemental composition and peptide markers were particularly highlighted as demonstrating potential for future development to determine a wide range of offal tissues to support the safety and integrity of the food chain.

Saliva changes in composition associated to COVID-19: a preliminary study.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV 2), is usually associated with a wide variety of clinical presentations from asymptomatic to severe cases. The use of saliva as a diagnostic and monitoring fluid has gained importance since it can be used to investigate the immune response and to direct quantification of antibodies against COVID-19. Additionally, the use of proteomics in saliva has allowed to increase  our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of diseases, bringing new perspectives on diagnostics, monitoring, and treatment. In this work, we compared the salivary proteome of 10 patients with COVID-19, (five patients with mild and five patients with severe COVID-19) and ten control healthy patients. Through the application of proteomics, we have identified 30 proteins whose abundance levels differed between the COVID-19 groups and the control group. Two of these proteins (TGM3 and carbonic anhydrase-CA6) were validated by the measurement of gGT and TEA respectively, in 98 additional saliva samples separated into two groups: (1) COVID-19 group, integrated by 66 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 (2) control group, composed of 32 healthy individuals who did not show any sign of disease for at least four weeks and were negative for COVID-19 in RT-PCR. In the proteomic study there were observed upregulations in CAZA1, ACTN4, and ANXA4, which are proteins related to the protective response against the virus disturbance, and the upregulation of TGM3, that is correlated to the oxidative damage in pulmonary tissue. We also showed the downregulation in cystatins and CA6 that can be involved in the sensory response to stimulus and possibly related to the presence of anosmia and dysgeusia during the COVID-19. Additionally, the presence of FGB in patients with severe COVID-19 but not in mild COVID-19 patients could indicate a higher viral aggregation and activation in these cases. In conclusion, the salivary proteome in patients with COVID-19 showed changes in proteins related to the protective response to viral infection, and the altered sensory taste perception that occur during the disease. Moreover, gGT and TEA could be potential biomarkers of respiratory complications that can occurs during COVID 19 although further larger studies should be made to corroborate this.

Gelsolin plays a role in the actin polymerization complex of hair cell stereocilia.

A complex of proteins scaffolded by the PDZ protein, whirlin, reside at the stereocilia tip and are critical for stereocilia development and elongation. We have shown that in outer hair cells (OHCs) whirlin is part of a larger complex involving the MAGUK protein, p55, and protein 4.1R. Whirlin interacts with p55 which is expressed exclusively in outer hair cells (OHC) in both the long stereocilia that make up the stereocilia bundle proper as well as surrounding shorter microvilli that will eventually regress. In erythrocytes, p55 forms a tripartite complex with protein 4.1R and glycophorin C promoting the assembly of actin filaments and the interaction of whirlin with p55 indicates that it plays a similar role in OHC stereocilia. However, the components directly involved in actin filament regulation in stereocilia are unknown. We have investigated additional components of the whirlin interactome by identifying interacting partners to p55. We show that the actin capping and severing protein, gelsolin, is a part of the whirlin complex. Gelsolin is detected in OHC where it localizes to the tips of the shorter rows but not to the longest row of stereocilia and the pattern of localisation at the apical hair cell surface is strikingly similar to p55. Like p55, gelsolin is ablated in the whirler and shaker2 mutants. Moreover, in a gelsolin mutant, stereocilia in the apex of the cochlea become long and straggly indicating defects in the regulation of stereocilia elongation. The identification of gelsolin provides for the first time a link between the whirlin scaffolding protein complex involved in stereocilia elongation and a known actin regulatory molecule.