Citizen Science Studies in Nursing: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Citizen science is a research approach wherein citizens actively participate alongside professionals in some or all stages of the research process. The bidirectional benefits it generates, especially in the field of health, including empowerment, new hypotheses, and results, and addressing issues truly important to society, justify the necessity to establish a common framework and address barriers to ensure a fruitful evolution of this new approach within nursing research. The aim was to analyze nursing projects with a citizen science focus that have been conducted. METHODS: PRISMA guidelines were employed to conduct a systematic review. Searches were conducted on PubMed, CINHAL, LILACS, IBECS, and Cochrane. Following the identification and screening process, 13 studies were included. The quality of the articles was assessed using the Joanna Brigg Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist and the quality of citizen science research using the Citizen Science Appraisal Tool. RESULTS: Citizen science studies in nursing were notably recent (2017-2023). Five research areas were identified, with environmental health being the most predominant. Multiple tools, both technological and traditional, were utilized, with the "Photovoice" and "Our Voice" methodologies being prominent. Citizen participation was limited to data collection and analysis in 7 out of the 13 studies, with most studies working with small samples. Findings regarding the application of this practice were positive, but no study exceeded 26 points on the CSAT scale to be considered high quality in citizen science. CONCLUSIONS: Citizen science can be a promising approach within the field of nursing. There is a need to increase individual participation to fully realize the potential bidirectional benefits. It is imperative to establish a common theoretical framework and continue working on the development of this methodology within nursing.

Knowledge Level of ICU Nurses Regarding Nutritional Assessment of Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Nutritional assessment on admission of critical patients is of vital importance to determine critical patients in whom there is a risk of malnutrition. Currently, it has been detected in most of the patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) that 60% of the daily calories are not achieved. Nurses play an essential role in the comprehensive assessment of the patient, including the nutritional area; however, significant deficits have been detected in some knowledge regarding Enteral Nutrition (EN). OBJECTIVE: We aim to determine the level of knowledge of nurses in the nutritional assessment of critically ill patients. METHODOLOGY: A systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted using the PRISMA statement. Between January 2017 and February 2023, articles were rescued from the electronic databases "Pubmed", "Scopus" and "The Cochrane Library", which analyzed the level of knowledge of ICU nurses regarding nutritional assessment. RESULTS: Most of the results found showed that nurses had deficient levels of knowledge in relation to nutritional assessment and practices. Interventions related to nutritional assessment were scarce, in contrast to those associated with the management of Nasogastric Tube (NGT) or patient positioning. CONCLUSIONS: The level of knowledge described was low or inadequate in relation to the care associated with the nutritional assessment of critically ill patients. The use of scales to assess the risk of malnutrition was not reported. This study was prospectively registered at PROSPERO on 25/10/2023 (insert date) with registration number CRD: 42023426924.

Salivary Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cortisol Associated with Psychological Alterations in University Students.

INTRODUCTION: Recent evidence reported mental health issues in university students such as anxiety and depressive symptoms and poor sleep quality. Decreased plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels have been proposed as a biomarker of depressive symptoms, whereas cortisol levels are an index of energy mobilization and stress and have been linked to sleep quality. Given that salivary biomarkers represent an interesting new field of research, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate salivary BDNF and cortisol levels in university students to assess whether they have associations with psychological disturbances such as anxiety and depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and stress level. METHODS: Salivary BDNF and cortisol levels were measured by specific immunoassays in 70 students whose mental health was also evaluated on the same day through the evaluation of anxiety and depression symptoms (Goldberg scale), sleep quality (Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index and Athens Insomnia Scale), and stress (self-perceived stress scale) and healthy lifestyle habits (alcohol consumption, smoking, regular exercise, and body mass index) were also measured. Multivariate regression analyses were performed in order to identify the strengths of associations between psychological alterations and the concentrations of BDNF, cortisol, and other variables. RESULTS: Salivary BDNF levels were significantly higher in students with more depressive symptoms, whereas no significant differences were found for cortisol levels. When performing the binary logistic regression model, BDNF levels are included as a predictor variable for a high-depressive-symptoms burden (p < 0.05). Students with worse sleep quality on the Pittsburg Scale had higher cortisol levels (p < 0.05). The subdomains of sleep latency and sleep medication were those significantly associated with salivary cortisol levels in logistic regression analyses (OR = 15.150, p = 0.028). Sleep medication only appeared to be related to cortisol levels (OR = 185.142, p = 0.019). Perceived stress levels and anxiety symptoms were not associated with BDNF or cortisol levels. CONCLUSIONS: BDNF could play a key role in the pathophysiology of mood-related disorders, and elevation of its peripheral levels could contribute to protecting neurons from the development of mental illness. Higher salivary cortisol levels measured in the morning are accompanied by poorer sleep quality. More research is needed, focusing on salivary biomarkers of disorders related to depressive symptoms and poor sleep quality as a potential tool for the diagnosis and prevention of mental illness.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Impact on Patients' Perceived Quality of Life: A Longitudinal Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the quality of life of adult patients with onco-hematological disease treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation up to two years post-transplantation. METHOD: A quantitative, observational, longitudinal, and analytical study was conducted with 121 participants diagnosed with onco-hematological cancer who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation between October 2017 and September 2019, with a 2-year post-transplantation follow-up, of whom only 39 completed the study. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplantation (FACT-BMT) questionnaire and its subscales, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-BMT) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Trial Outcome Index (FACT-TOI), developed by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) and validated for Spain, were used to assess quality of life. RESULT: The average age for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was 54 years, with a majority of male participants. The evaluation of quality of life showed a decrease at the time of hospital discharge, followed by a progressive improvement up to one year after the transplantation. There was a significant difference in the quality of life questionnaire scores between both sexes during all stages of the research, with higher scores in male participants. The length of hospital stay significantly affected patients' physical and functional well-being, and marital status was related to differences in the perception of quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the initial decrease in quality of life for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, levels of quality of life similar to baseline are regained one year after the transplantation. Sociodemographic variables are related to how these patients perceive their quality of life. However, further studies with a larger sample size are needed for more precise results.

Salivary Interleukin 1-Beta Concentration Associates With Sleep Quality in Older Individuals.

Background: Poor sleep quality is prevalent in older people and impairs their quality of life. Various studies show an association between sleep disorders and altered levels of inflammatory cytokines. The cytokine IL-1ß has been shown to display both somnogenic and insomnia-promoting effects in experimental animals. Objectives: to evaluate the relationship between insomnia and salivary IL-1ß concentration and the role of associated factors such as the symptoms of depression, use of hypnotics, intake of caffeinated beverages, smoking, and alcohol use in older individuals. An analytical, cross-sectional, observational research was carried out with a population of community-dwelling individuals over 60 years of age in Valencia (Spain). Sleep quality was measured with the Athens insomnia scale (AIS) and depressive symptoms with Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results: 287 individuals participated in the study (mean age 74.08 years (76.7% women). 41.5% of the participants had insomnia, 36.9% took drugs for sleep problems, and 32.4% had relevant depressive symptoms. There was a significant inverse correlation between the IL-1ß and total AIS score (rho = -0.302, p < 0.001), the sleep difficulty subdomain (rho = -0.259, p < 0.001), and the daytime sleepiness subdomain (rho = -0.322, p < 0.001). No significant correlation was observed between GDS and salivary IL-1ß concentration. The IL-1ß concentration was significantly lower in individuals taking drugs for sleeping compared with those not taking those drugs (1.11 ± 0.09 and 1.48 ± 0.08, respectively; p = 0.001). Regarding the AIS score, there was no significant difference in marital status, smoking, or the number of cups of tea or cola drinks, but there was a significant association with alcohol intake (p = 0.019) and in the number of daily intakes of coffee (p = 0.030). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of IL-1ß for diagnosis of moderate-severe insomnia showed an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.78 (95% confidence interval 0.71-0.85). At the cut-off of 0.83 pg/µL of Il-1ß, it had a sensitivity of 70.3% and a specificity of 69.8%.

Increased Salivary IL-1 Beta Level Is Associated with Poor Sleep Quality in University Students.

Poor sleep quality is a major public health concern for all ages. In particular, university students often face stress levels and changes in social life habits that negatively influence their quality of sleep. This could be associated with psychological well-being in terms of anxiety and depressive symptoms, stress levels, and a poor self-perceived health status. The increases in the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-1 beta (IL-1ß), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), in blood have been linked to poor sleep quality in many diseases, but data on salivary cytokine levels in students are missing or are seldom analyzed. In this study we determined the quality of sleep in a sample of university students and the role of psychological assessment and factors affecting sleep (alcohol intake, tobacco, consumption of stimulant drinks, exercise, and body mass index). We also aimed to shed new light on the associations between sleep quality and salivary inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNFα). Sleep quality was measured with the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Perceived stress was assessed using Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS) was used to assess the level of anxiety or depression. Perceived health status was measured with a visual analogue. Saliva samples was taken in the morning and the inflammatory cytokines was measured via enzyme-linked immunoassay. There was a direct and significant association between the salivary IL-1ß concentration and AIS score (r = 0.248; p = 0.038, Pearson correlation) and Pittsburgh scale score (r = 0.274; p = 0.022, Pearson correlation). The relationship between IL-1ß and AIS controlling for sex, age, and chronic disease, is still significant (r = 0.260; p = 0.033). The relationship between IL-1ß and PSQI controlling for the influence of these variables is also significant (r = 0.279; p = 0.022). Salivary IL-1ß concentrations were not significantly associated with any of the scores of the other psychological assessments (PSS, anxiety, depression symptoms, or self-perceived health). Salivary TNFα was significantly and inversely associated with self-perceived health (r = -0.259; p = 0.033, Pearson correlation), but the salivary IL-6 concentration was not associated with any of the sleep quality scale or psychological assessment scores. Our results provide a novel relationship between pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1ß in saliva and poor sleep quality. However, the role of inflammation in poor sleep quality requires further study to identify strategies that could lower inflammation and thus, likely improve sleep quality.

Effect of pelvic floor muscle training on female sexual function: A systematic review protocol and meta-analysis.

AIM: To recognize, appraise and summarize the research evidence that has explored the results of pelvic floor muscle training on female sexual function. DESIGN: Systematic review and possible meta-analysis. METHODOLOGY: Between September and October 2022, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Scopus electronic databases will be searched. We will include RCT's in English, Spanish and Portuguese that investigate the results of pelvic floor muscle training on female sexual function. The data will be extracted by two researchers independently. Risk of bias will be measured from the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The meta-analysis of the results will be performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Version 2. RESULTS: This systematic review and possible meta-analysis will contribute significantly to the promotion of pelvic floor health and women's sexual function and to strengthen clinical practice and define other areas of study.

Knowledge about Palliative Care and Attitudes toward Care of the Dying among Primary Care Nurses in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the knowledge in palliative care and the attitudes toward caring for the dying of nurses who carry out their professional activity in primary care in Spain. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out among Spanish primary care centers. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 244 nurses who had completed their primary care work and agreed to participate in this study were included. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: The level of knowledge in palliative care was analyzed using the PCQN-SV scale, and attitudes toward care of the dying were measured with the FATCOD-S scale, both of which are instruments that are validated in Spain. RESULTS: Regarding the level of knowledge in palliative care, at a global level, the results revealed that 60% of the answers in the PCQN-SV were correct, with different results for each of the three subscales that compose it. When analyzing the attitudes of primary care nurses toward the care of the dying, an average of 132.21 out of 150 was obtained, representing a positive attitude. On the other hand, when analyzing these results in terms of knowledge and attitudes according to the population's characteristics, we see that participants with both experience and training in palliative care present a better level of knowledge and a higher score regarding their attitudes toward care of the dying. However, the differences are only significant regarding the level of knowledge in palliative care. When analyzing the data from the two scales together, it is noteworthy that the participants with the most positive attitudes (highest scores on the FATCOD-S) also have the highest percentages of correct answers on the PCQN-SV.

Training, management, and quality of nursing care of vascular access in adult patients: The INCATIV project.

BACKGROUND: More than one billion of peripheral venous catheters are inserted into hospitalized patients every year. This study sought to identify the status of nursing care in vascular accesses in different hospitals and to evaluate the impact of a series of informative and formative interventions aimed at their care. METHODS: Quasi-experimental, multicenter study. A total of 54 nursing professionals of 19 hospitals participated. The intervention consisted of informative talk and three training sessions related to the care and maintenance of vascular accesses and intravenous therapy in the hospital-admitted adult population. This was delivered in four years, with eight periodic cross-sectional assessments conducted before and after each intervention. To assess quality of nursing care in vascular accesses and intravenous therapy, a quality indicator called Standard Variable (VES), was developed and validated with the Delphi methodology. RESULTS: A total of 21,108 patients, aged 64.0 years (SD 18.3), were assessed, of which 78.3% (16,516) had some type of vascular access inserted. An average of 22.1% (95% CI: 21.4-22.7) were classified as optimal. In total, 3218 nursing care professionals took part in the training activities. The VES indicator grew steadily throughout the study, raising from 7.8% to 37.6%. Changes were statistically significant between those time points in which one of the described interventions was delivered; however, there were no significant changes between time points with no intervention. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports that continuous training interventions can produce improvements in the quality of nursing care and reduce complications in patients with vascular accesses. In addition, the VES indicator was a useful and simple tool to measure quality, but the experience with its use suggests continuous research in the search for standardized indicators that objectify the evaluation and evolution of care.

Usefulness of Midline Catheters versus Peripheral Venous Catheters in an Inpatient Unit: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Canalization of vascular accesses is one of the most used techniques in hospitalization units. When talking about peripherally inserted catheters, we can differentiate between peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVC), midline catheters, and long peripheral catheters (LPC). Midline catheters are rarely used despite being recommended for intravenous therapies lasting more than six days. This research is a pilot study of a longitudinal clinical trial. It aims to compare the complications associated with intravenous therapy between the control group (CG) with a PIVC and the experimental group (EG) with a midline in an Internal Medicine Unit of a Spanish hospital for three months. In this study, 44 subjects participated, 25 in the CG and 19 in the EG. The duration of cannulation was longer in the experimental group (8.13 days vs. 3.22, p < 0.001), and the appearance of phlebitis was more significant in the control group (19 patients in CG and 25 patients in EG). Midlines have presented a longer duration of cannulation and fewer complications than the PIVC. This protocol was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05512117).

Spanish Version of the Scale "Eventos Adversos Associados às Práticas de Enfermagem" (EAAPE): Validation in Nursing Students.

Healthcare carried out by different health professionals, including nurses, implies the possible appearance of adverse events that affect the safety of the patient and may cause damage to the patient. In clinical practice, it is necessary to have measurement instruments that allow for the evaluation of the presence of these types of events in order to prevent them. This study aims to validate the "Eventos adversos associados às práticas de enfermagem" (EAAPE) scale in Spanish and evaluate its reliability. The validation was carried out through a cross-sectional study with a sample of 337 nursing students from the University of Valencia recruited during the 2018-19 academic year. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out using principal components and varimax rotation. The factor analysis extracted two factors that explained 32.10% of the total variance. Factor 1 explains 22.19% and refers to the "adverse results" of clinical practice (29 items), and factor 2 explains 9.62% and refers to "preventive practices" (24 items). Both factors presented high reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.902 and 0.905, respectively). The Spanish version of the EAAPE is valid and reliable for measuring the perception of adverse events associated with nursing practice and the presence of prevention measures.

Personal and Social Consequences of Psychotropic Substance Use: A Population-Based Internet Survey.

Background and objectives: Drug abuse has become a major worldwide health concern among all age groups. The present study analyses substance misuse and its social and personal consequences using a population-based internet survey in Spain. Materials and Methods: Screening for drug abuse (of alcohol, marijuana/hashish and psychostimulants) and its related risks and problems was performed using the Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble (CRAFFT) score. Socio-demographic factors, depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms as well as health habits were also evaluated. We used Linear regression methods to compare each variable's individual contribution so as to determine which one best explains the results. Results: In this population-based study, 1224 people completed and returned the online survey. Of all participants, 57% reported consuming at least one substance based on the CRAFFT scale. While increasing age reduces the probability of personal and social consequences of consumption, people who smoke receive up to three times more (OR = 3.370) recommendations from family and friends to reduce their consumption. As for the type of substance, the consumption of marijuana increases the risk of forgetting (OR = 2.33) and the consumption of other psychostimulant substances almost triples the risk of consuming alone (OR = 2.965). Combining substances can increase the rate of driving a vehicle after consumption by 3.4 times. Conclusions: Although age, smoking and the type of substances used increase the risk of suffering from social and personal consequences of the use or abuse of substances, future studies are needed to determine the influence of new variables as a potential tool for treating and minimizing the adverse consequences of drug abuse.

Programa de salud Agente +014: gamificación aplicada a la educación de adolescentes con diabetes según el modelo PRECEDE-PROCEDE y desde una perspectiva salutogénica / Agent +014 health program: gamification applied to the education of adolescents with diabetes according to the Precede-Proceed model and from a salutogenic perspective / Programa de saúde Agente +014: gamificação aplicada à educação de adolescentes com diabetes segundo o modelo PRECEDE-PROCEDE e desde uma perspectiva salutogênica

Resumen Objetivos: la diabetes mellitus tipo 1 es una enfermedad crónica que suele debutar en la infancia y necesitar formación a lo largo para dar respuesta a los cambios producidos en todas las etapas vitales. El objetivo de esta investigación es desarrollar un programa de educación para la salud, siguiendo el modelo Precede-Procede y desde una perspectiva salutogénica atendiendo a las necesidades de la población adolescente y que incluya la gamificación como estrategia educativa. Materiales y métodos: la primera fase es investigación mixta, cuantitativa y cualitativa y combina diferentes instrumentos para la recogida de información. Los participantes son adolescentes con dicho diagnóstico y sus progenitores, residentes en la Comunidad de Madrid, España. En la segunda, se desarrolla un programa educativo que responde a los hallazgos de la etapa anterior y que incorpora la gamificación. Resultados: la población diana disfruta de una buena calidad de vida, tiene un estilo de vida saludable y alta responsabilidad hacia sus cuidados. Sin embargo, los recursos que les hace falta son los relacionados con la esfera emocional. Es por ello por lo que el programa educativo denominado Agente +014 abarca la competencia emocional y cuidados avanzados de la diabetes, todo ello con forma de juego digital. Conclusiones: el modelo Precede-Procede se ha mostrado eficaz para desarrollar esta intervención de educación para la salud. El enfoque salutogénico facilita el análisis de los recursos personales, familiares y comunitarios. La gamificación es una estrategia innovadora en la promoción de la salud.

Abstract Objectives: type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that usually begins in childhood and requires training throughout to respond to the changes produced in all life stages. The objective of this research is to develop a health education program following the Precede-Proceed model from a salutogenic perspective, attending to the needs of the adolescent population and including gamification as an educational strategy. Materials and methods: the first stage is a mix of quantitative and qualitative research that combines different instruments for the collection of information. The participants are adolescents diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus and their parents, residents of the Community of Madrid, Spain. In the second stage an educational program is developed that responds to the findings of the previous stage and incorporates gamification. Results: the target population enjoys a good quality of life, they have a healthy lifestyle and high responsibility towards their care. However, the resources they lack are those related to the emotional sphere. That is why the educational program called "Agent +014" is used since it encompasses the emotional competence and advanced diabetes care, all in the form of a digital game. Conclusions: the Precede-Procede model has shown to be effective in developing health education interventions. The salutogenic approach facilitates the analysis of personal, family and community resources. Gamification is an innovative strategy in health promotion.

Resumo Objetivos: a diabetes mellitus tipo 1 é uma doenças crônicas que costuma debutar na infância e necessitar formação ao longo para dar resposta aos câmbios produzidos em todas as etapas vitais. O objetivo desta pesquisa é desenvolver um programa de educação para a saúde, seguindo o modelo Precede-Procede e desde uma perspectiva salutogênico atendendo às necessidades da população adolescente e que incluía a gamificação como estratégia educativa. Materiais e métodos: a primeira fase é pesquisa mista, quantitativa e qualitativa e combina diferentes instrumentos para a colheita de informação. Os participantes são adolescentes com este diagnóstico e seus progenitores, residentes na Comunidade de Madrid, Espanha. Na segunda, desenvolve-se um programa educativo que responde às descobertas da etapa anterior e que incorpora a gamificação. Resultados: a população Diana desfruta de uma boa qualidade de vida, tem um estilo de vida saudável e alta responsabilidade para seus cuidados. Contudo, os recursos que lhes faz falta são os relacionados com a esfera emocional. É por isso que o programa educativo denominado Agente +014 abarca a competência emocional e cuidados avançados da diabetes, todo isto com forma de jogo digital. Conclusões: o modelo Precede-Procede foi eficaz para desenvolver esta intervenção de educação para a saúde. O enfoque salutogênico facilita a análise dos recursos pessoais, familiares e comunitários. A gamificação é uma estratégia inovadora na promoção da saúde.

Contents of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Subject in the Undergraduate Nursing Curricula of Spanish Universities: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Nursing students must receive adequate training in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), which could allow them to acquire sufficient knowledge to solve the future SRH needs of everyone. In this study, the contents of the SRH subject in the undergraduate nursing curricula of 77 Spanish universities were examined to determine what SRH training nursing students are receiving. METHODS: The contents of the SRH subject of all the curricula that were available online were reviewed. The distribution of the contents (topics) in the two areas (reproductive health and sexual health) was analyzed, and the prevalence of each topic was established. It was also determined whether there were differences between public (n = 52) and private universities (n = 25). RESULTS: The training of nursing students focuses mainly on the area of Reproductive Health (15 topics). Most of the topics of this area had a prevalence greater than 50%. Although the area of Sexual Health had 14 topics, most of these topics had a low prevalence (<20%), especially in private universities. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that there is considerable variation in the distribution and prevalence of SRH topics between universities. The contents of the area of Reproductive Health are usually prevalent in most of the curricula. However, the contents of the area of Sexual Health are minimal in most of the universities. An organizational effort is required to determine and standardize the contents of SRH that nursing students should receive in Spain to avoid inequalities in their training. Guaranteeing homogeneous SRH contents will avoid deficit situations that could affect people's care.

Salivary Inflammatory Molecules as Biomarkers of Sleep Alterations: A Scoping Review.

Poor sleep quality and sleep disorders are the most common problems in people, affecting health-related quality of life. Various studies show an association between sleep disorders and altered levels of stress hormones and inflammatory cytokines measured in saliva. The main objective of this article is to provide an analysis of the current evidence related to changes in inflammatory markers in the saliva and their associations with sleep quality measurement (both objective and subjective methods) in healthy subjects and in sleep-related disorders. To that end, a scoping review was carried out, following the PRISMA criteria in the bibliographic search in several databases: PubMed, EBSCO, and SCOPUS. Eleven of the articles are from the adult population and two from the child-youth population. They mainly measure the relationship between sleep and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) alpha, as well as other inflammatory markers such as myeloperoxidase (MPO) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2. An analysis shows the relationship between these salivary biomarkers and sleep quality, especially in the case of IL-6 in both healthy subjects and several pathologies associated with sleep-disorders. The results for TNFα and IL-1ß measurements are still inconclusive and the difference with IL-6 was assessed. Two studies reported interventions that result in sleep improvement and are accompanied by the normalization of inflammatory changes detected in the saliva. As it is an easy-to-apply and non-invasive method, the measurement of salivary cytokines can be very useful in chronobiology studies. Further studies are required to determine the sensitivity of salivary inflammatory markers in monitoring biological rhythms and acting as biomarkers in the detection of sleep disorders and sleep interventions.

Self-Perception of Dependence as an Indicator of Smartphone Addiction-Establishment of a Cutoff Point in the SPAI-Spain Inventory.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the abusive use of the smartphone has reached a situation that could be considered pathological. In this sense, different instruments to assess this problematic use or addiction to the smartphone are used. One of these instruments is the Smartphone Addition Inventory (SPAI), which has been validated in the Spanish language (SPAI-Spain). The main difficulty of these scales is to establish a cut-off point that determines such mobile addiction. On the other hand, self-perception was used in different addictions as a predictor of the problem. AIM: The objective of this study was to establish the cut-off point in the scores of the SPAI-Spain, using as a reference the self-perception of addiction values. METHODS: A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was carried out, establishing as the cut-off point the one that presented a higher value of Youden J, indicative of its sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: 2958 participants from the university community completed the SPAI-Spain questionnaire. Differences in SPAI-Spain scores were found among age groups and gender, even though not all of them were statistically significant. When using the self-perception of smartphone addiction as the benchmark value, a score of 44 was established as the cutting point of the SPAI-Spain questionnaire, with a Youden J corresponding to 0.416. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of a cut-off point of the SPAI-Spain questionnaire makes it an instrument that allows early identification of those individuals at risk of addiction, as well as the establishment of preventive and/or intervention measures.

Quality of Life in Individuals Affected by Arnold Chiari Malformation: Comparison and Validation of a Measurement Instrument.

BACKGROUND: Introduction. Arnold Chiari Malformation (ACM) type I is a pathology whose symptomatology has repercussions for the quality of life of those affected by it. Quality-of-life measurement instruments can allow the severity of the impact of Chiari type I malformation on patients' lives to be monitored. The Chiari Symptom Profile (CSP) is a valid and reliable instrument designed for this purpose. The aim of the study was to adapt the CSP to Spanish and to explore the reliability and validity of this construct in the context of Spanish-speaking patients with ACM. METHODS: The English CSP instrument has a good internal validity and consistency. We used a standardized procedure for the linguistic validation of the translated scale. For the psychometric validation, we recruited 215 individuals with ACM and calculated the Cronbach's alpha for the sample. The construct was validated by analyzing the age, sex, and presence of syringomyelia, as well as by correlating the results with the sickness impact profile 30 (SIP-30) questionnaire, which can also evaluate quality of life in this type of patient. RESULTS: The Spanish version of the CSP has good internal consistency and validity (Cronbach's alpha of 0.90); age, sex, and the presence of syringomyelia does not significantly affect the quality of life of patients with ACM. There was a direct and significant correlation between the Spanish CSP and the validated SIP-30 questionnaire results (p < 0.05). Further analysis showed a positive correlation for the physical and psychological scopes of the CSP and SIP-30 questionnaires, but not for their functional and social scopes. CONCLUSION: This version of the CSP is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring quality of life in patients with ACM in the Spanish context.

Características de las personas afectadas de fibrilación auricular en una consulta de cardiología / Characteristics of people affected by atrial fibrillation in a cardiology office

La Fibrilación auricular (FA) presenta una elevada prevalencia en los ancianos. Se plantea como objetivo describir las características de la población afectada y valorar las relaciones existentes entre los diferentes aspectos medibles. Metodología: Estudio descriptivo e inferencial con muestreo por conveniencia, seleccionando todos los pacientes con episodios de FA asociados a frecuencias cardíacas (FC) superiores a 80 ppm o que hayan revertido a ritmo sinusal, con el que se obtiene una muestra de 65 personas. Se han recopilado datos sociodemográficos, tipo de FA, variaciones en FC, visitas a urgencias y complicaciones. Los datos han sido analizados mediante el programa SPSS v.17.0. Resultados: La media de edad fue de 65 años. La FA paroxística se encuentra asociada a FC iniciales superiores a las del grupo de FA persistente, el cual se relaciona con edades más avanzadas. El grupo que acude a urgencias presenta FC iniciales superiores. Existen diferencias significativas, asociando directamente las consultas al servicio de urgencias con episodios de FA con FC elevadas que obliga a la derivación. A edades avanzadas, mayor asociación en el individuo de los factores de riesgo con los que esta se relaciona. Conclusiones: La FA es una de las arritmias más prevalentes, con un alto coste sanitario y con un empeoramiento de la calidad de vida, por lo que las actividades encaminadas a la detección precoz y tratamiento adecuado son fundamentales para su mejora

Atrial fibrillation (AF) has a high old prevalence. The main objective is describe and asses the characteristics of the population affected and the relationships between different measurable aspects. Methodology: Descriptive and inferential study with convenience sampling, selecting all patients with AF episodes associated with heart rate (HR) above 80 ppm or they have reverted to sinus rhythm, obtaining a sample of 65 people. Sociodemographic data have been collected, type of AF, variations in HR, emergency department visits and complications. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.17.0. Results: The mean age was 65 years. Paroxysmal AF is associated with higher initial HR group of persistent AF, which is related to older ages. The group attended the emergency department have higher initial heart rate. There are significant differences, associating directly to the emergency consultations with episodes of atrial fibrillation with high HRrequiring patient referral. At older ages, there is more association of individual risk factors with which it relates. Conclusions: The FA is one of the most prevalent arrhythmia with a high health costs and a deteriorating quality of life, being the key activities aimed at early detection and adequate treatment to improve it

Aspectos podológicos en la Encuesta Nacional de Salud / Podiatric issues in National Health Survey

Objetivo: la Encuesta Nacional de Salud (ENS) es el instrumento para detectar el nivel de salud de la población, por lo que se plantea como objetivo el análisis de las diferentes ediciones para valorar la presencia de los aspectos podológicos y de la figura del profesional de podología en la atención a las personas mayores. Metodología: se ha realizado un análisis de contenido de las diferentes ENS tras la recopilación de las diferentes ediciones (8). Después de la lectura en profundidad y análisis por parte de dos investigadores, se han cumplimentado las fichas de análisis y se han categorizado los diferentes transcriptores, y se ha realizado el análisis e interpretación de la información encontrada. Resultados: en las diferentes ediciones no aparece ninguna mención a la profesión de podología; sí que aparecen referencias a otras figuras como naturópatas, quiroprácticos, entre otros. En relación con los descriptores sobre las afecciones de los pies, solo aparece una referencia en la edición de 1987. No obstante, la referencia a aspectos podológicos es prácticamente inexistente. Conclusiones: la ENS es el instrumento básico para conocer el estado de salud de la población general, pero presenta limitaciones al omitir los aspectos podológicos que suponen una merma en el diagnóstico de las necesidades y, por consiguiente, en la calidad de vida de las personas, principalmente mayores. Al igual que ocurre con la cartera de servicios del SNS, obvia a los/as profesionales formados para la atención básica de los problemas podológicos en el equipo de salud

Aim: The National Health Survey (NHS) is the instrument to detect the level of population health so we set as our aim, the analysis of the different editions to assess the presence of podiatric aspects and the figure of the professional podiatry. Methodology: There has been a content analysis of the different ENS after the compilation of the different editions (8). After reading in depth analysis by two researchers have completed sheets are categorized analysis and different transcribers and performing the analysis and interpretation of information found. Results: In the different editions no mention of the profession of podiatry does not appear, appearing as references to other Naturopaths, Chiropractors, etc. Regarding descriptors regarding foot conditions, only appears a reference in the 1987 edition, being almost nonexistent the podiatric aspects. Conclusions: The ENS is essential to know the health status of the general population instrument nevertheless has limitations to obviate the podiatric aspects that represent a reduction in the quality of life of people. As is the case with the range of services of SNS, obvious to professionals trained for basic care of foot problems in the health care team