Conceptions of learning factors in postgraduate health sciences master students: a comparative study with non-health science students and between genders.

BACKGROUND: The students' conceptions of learning in postgraduate health science master studies are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to compare the factors influencing conceptions of learning in health sciences and non-health sciences students enrolled in postgraduate master programs in order to obtain information that may be useful for students and for future postgraduate programs. METHODS: A modified version of the Learning Inventory Conception Questionnaire (COLI) was used to compare students' conception learning factors in 131 students at the beginning of their postgraduate studies in health sciences, experimental sciences, arts and humanities and social sciences. RESULTS: The present study demonstrates that a set of factors may influence conception of learning of health sciences postgraduate students, with learning as gaining information, remembering, using, and understanding information, awareness of duty and social commitment being the most relevant. For these students, learning as a personal change, a process not bound by time or place or even as acquisition of professional competences, are less relevant. According to our results, this profile is not affected by gender differences. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the overall conceptions of learning differ among students of health sciences and non-health sciences (experimental sciences, arts and humanities and social sciences) master postgraduate programs. These finding are potentially useful to foster the learning process of HS students, because if they are metacognitively aware of their own conception or learning, they will be much better equipped to self-regulate their learning behavior in a postgraduate master program in health sciences.

Gender and age differences in components of traffic-related pedestrian death rates: exposure, risk of crash and fatality rate.

BACKGROUND: This ecological study aimed i) to quantify the association of age and gender with the three components of pedestrians' death rates after a pedestrian-vehicle crash: exposure, risk of crash and fatality, and ii) to determine the contribution of each component to differences in death rates according to age and gender in Spain. METHODS: We analyzed data for 220 665 pedestrians involved in road crashes recorded in the Spanish registry of road crashes with victims from 1993 to 2011, and a subset of 39 743 pedestrians involved in clean collisions (in which the pedestrian did not commit an infraction). Using decomposition and quasi-induced exposure methods, we obtained the proportion of increase in death rates for each age and gender group associated with exposure, risk of collision and fatality. RESULTS: Death rates increased with age. The main contributor to this increase was fatality, although exposure also increased with age. In contrast, the risk of collision decreased with age. Males had higher death rates than females, especially in the 24-54 year old group. Higher fatality rates in males were the main determinant of this difference, which was also related with a higher risk of collision in males. However, exposure rates were higher in females. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude and direction of the associations between age and gender and each of the three components of pedestrians' death rates differed depending on the specific component explored. These differences need to be taken into account in order to prioritize preventive strategies intended to decrease mortality among pedestrians.

Erratum to: Gender and age differences in components of traffic-related pedestrian death rates: exposure, risk of crash and fatality rate.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s40621-016-0079-2.].

Risk factors associated with early implant failure: A 5-year retrospective clinical study.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The replacement of lost teeth with dental implants is a widespread treatment whose associated problems are also frequently encountered. Nevertheless, the factors associated with early implant failure have not been well documented. Further analyses of the factors influencing osseointegration establishment are required to maximize the predictability of the procedure and minimize implant failures. PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective clinical study was to explore the association between possible risk factors and early implant failure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective clinical study evaluated 142 participants who received 276 external connection BTI implants between 2007 and 2011. Participant variables (age, sex, systemic disease, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, bruxism, and degree of periodontal disease), implant variables (type of edentulism, localization, area, diameter, length, and bone quality), intervention variables (expansion mechanisms, sinus augmentation techniques, bone regeneration, and implant insertion), and postoperative variables (presence of pain/inflammation at 1 week postsurgery) were studied. A multilevel logistic regression model (mixed effects-type model) was used to determine the influence of variables on early implant failure. RESULTS: Early implant failure was significantly associated with the male sex (P=.001), severe periodontal disease (P=.005), short implants (P=.001), expansion technique (P=.002), and postoperative pain/inflammation at 1 week postsurgery (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Early dental implant failure is more frequent in men and in individuals with severe periodontal disease, short implants, pain/inflammation at 1 week postsurgery, or bone expansion treatment.

A dimensional comparison between delusional disorder, schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

INTRODUCTION: Since the early description of paranoia, the nosology of delusional disorder has always been controversial. The old idea of unitary psychosis has now gained some renewed value from the dimensional continuum model of psychotic symptoms. AIMS: 1. To study the psychopathological dimensions of the psychosis spectrum; 2. to explore the association between psychotic dimensions and categorical diagnoses; 3. to compare the different psychotic disorders from a psychopathological and functional point of view. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is an observational study utilizing a sample of some 550 patients with a psychotic disorder. 373 participants had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, 137 had delusional disorder and 40 with a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. The PANSS was used to elicit psychopathology and global functioning was ascertained using the GAF measure. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the PANSS items were performed to extract psychopathological dimensions. Associations between diagnostic categories and dimensions were subsequently studied using ANOVA tests. RESULTS: 5 dimensions - manic, negative symptoms, depression, positive symptoms and cognitive - emerged. The model explained 57.27% of the total variance. The dimensional model was useful to explained differences and similarities between all three psychosis spectrum categories. The potential clinical usefulness of this dimensional model within and between clinical psychosis spectrum categories is discussed.

Evolution of the resistance to antibiotics of bacteria involved in urinary tract infections: a 7-year surveillance study.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a retrospective analysis on the identification and antibiogram of all bacteria isolated from urine samples with microbiological confirmation of urinary tract infection (UTI) in a Spanish reference hospital over a 7-year period. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed of the identification and antibiogram data. RESULTS: A total of 31,758 uropathogens were isolated. Escherichia coli accounted for the majority (55.2%) of these, followed by Enterococcus faecalis (18.0%) and Klebsiella spp (10.3%). The highest E coli susceptibility rates were to imipenem (93.0%-99.8%), amikacin (97.3%-99.5%), nitrofurantoin (96.7%-98.9%), and fosfomycin (95.3%-100%), and the lowest were to cefuroxime (67.8%-86.4%), ciprofloxacin (61.2%-69.8%), and co-trimoxazole (55.0%-65.5%). We highlight the overall high activity of imipenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, nitrofurantoin, and fosfomycin on isolates versus the low activity of fluoroquinolones, co-trimoxazole, or cephalosporins. The activity of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and fosfomycin decreased significantly over the 7-year study period. CONCLUSIONS: Imipenem and piperacillin-tazobactam appear to be good options for the empiric treatment of UTI acquired in hospital or requiring hospitalization, whereas nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin can be first-choice antibiotics for the treatment of uncomplicated community-acquired cystitis. However, surveillance studies are required to detect resistance to these antibiotics, given that an increase in uropathogen resistance rates may contraindicate its future use in empiric UTI therapy.

Inadequate prenatal care and maternal country of birth: a retrospective study of southeast Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the association between the maternal country of birth and inadequacy in the use of prenatal care, and to identify factors that might explain this association. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective case series was carried out in a public hospital in southern Spain, including 6873 women who delivered between 2005 and 2007. The maternal country of birth was categorised into four regional groups: Spain, Maghreb (north-west Africa), Eastern Europe and Others (non-Spain), while the use of prenatal care was quantified according to a modified Kotelchuck index: APNCU-1M and APNCU 2M. The effect of country of birth on inadequate prenatal care was analysed using a multiple logistic regression model designed to accommodate factors such as age, parity, previous miscarriages, and pre-gestational and gestational risks. Likelihood ratio tests were performed to assess any interactions. RESULTS: A significant association was found between maternal country of birth and inadequate prenatal care regardless of the index used. Under APNCU 1-M the strength of association was strongest for Eastern European origin (odds ratio (OR) 6.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2-7.32), followed by the Maghreb (OR: 5.58, 95% CI: 4.69-6.64). These associations remained virtually unchanged after adjusting for potential confounders. Interactions were observed between age and parity, with the highest risk of inadequacy seen among the Eastern European childbearing women over 34 years of age having 1-2 previous children (OR: 7.63, 95% CI: 3.65-15.92). CONCLUSION: Prenatal health care initiatives would benefit from the study of a larger number of variables to address the differences between different groups of women. We recommend the widespread use of standardised indices for the study of prenatal care utilisation.

[Validation of scale to evaluate the relationship between family-work in family physicians]. / Validación de escala para evaluar la relación familia-trabajo en médicas y médicos de familia.

BACKGROUND: Studying the work-family relationships is important because it affects the personal and professional life. Women increases in medicine without redistribute domestic tasks and responsibilities. The purpose of this study was to create and validate a scale of work-family relations in women and men family physician (FP) in Andalusia. METHODS: Cross sectional and multicenter study. The study population were FP of urban primary care centres, sample=500FP (50% by sex). We studied: sex, age, postgraduate family medicine specialty, care burden (2 variables), and family burden (7 variables). We design, and included in self-administered questionnaires, a scale of 13 questions on work-family relations. Bivariate analysis, exploratory factor and multiple regressions to test the convergent validity was performed. RESULTS: The response rate was 73.6%. We identified two dimensions, Overloading and Family Support Deficit (OFSD) (5 questions), and Work-Family Conflict (WFC) (6 questions), in both, female FP score higher than their peers. There are more family variables associated with both dimensions in female FP, it expresses differences in the complexity of the causes of OFSD and WFC by sex. CONCLUSION: The scale obtained is valid, reliable and gives two empirical dimensions of family-work relationships.

PGS-FISH in reproductive medicine and perspective directions for improvement: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Embryo selection can be carried out via morphological criteria or by using genetic studies based on Preimplantation Genetic Screening. In the present study, we evaluate the clinical validity of Preimplantation Genetic Screening with fluorescence in situ hybridization (PGS-FISH) compared with morphological embryo criteria. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review was made of the bibliography, with the following goals: firstly, to determine the prevalence of embryo chromosome alteration in clinical situations in which the PGS-FISH technique has been used; secondly, to calculate the statistics of diagnostic efficiency (negative Likelihood Ratio), using 2 × 2 tables, derived from PGS-FISH. The results obtained were compared with those obtained from embryo morphology. We calculated the probability of transferring at least one chromosome-normal embryo when it was selected using either morphological criteria or PGS-FISH, and considered what diagnostic performance should be expected of an embryo selection test with respect to achieving greater clinical validity than that obtained from embryo morphology. RESULTS: After an embryo morphology selection that produced a negative result (normal morphology), the likelihood of embryo aneuploidies was found to range from a pre-test value of 65% (prevalence of embryo chromosome alteration registered in all the study groups) to a post-test value of 55% (Confidence interval: 50-61), while after PGS-FISH with a negative result (euploid), the post-test probability was 42% (Confidence interval: 35-49) (p < 0.05). The probability of transferring at least one euploid embryo was the same whether 3 embryos were selected according to morphological criteria or whether 2, selected by PGS-FISH, were transferred. Any embryo selection test, if it is to provide greater clinical validity than embryo morphology, must present a LR-value of 0.40 (Confidence interval: 0.32-0.51) in single embryo transfer, and 0.06 (CI: 0.05-0.07) in double embryo transfer. DISCUSSION: With currently available technology, and taking into account the number of embryos to be transferred, the clinical validity of PGS-FISH, although superior to that of morphological criteria, does not appear to be clinically relevant.

[Factors underlying psycho-social problems]. / Factores que intervienen en la producción de los problemas psicosociales.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate personal and family variables involved in the appearance of psychosocial problems (PSP) and the role of stressful life events (SLE) and Social Network and Support in its genesis; and to construct a profile of a PSP patient. DESIGN: Transversal, descriptive study. SETTING: Almanjayar Health Centre, Granada, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred fourteen patients over 18 selected by systematic sampling in on-demand consultation. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Every patient had an interview, filling in the GHQ-28 (with scores>or=8 considered indicative of PSP), the family Apgar test (Family Function study), the Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Scale (SLE in the last year), the DUKE-UNC questionnaire (Social Support), and Social Network (number of people). The Structure and Stage of the Family Life Cycle, social-economic and cultural level, work and income were also determined. A descriptive analysis of each variable and its association with the GHQ-28 through the chi2 test were also conducted. To find what categories were associated independently with high scores on the GHQ, a multivariate analysis was carried out. RESULTS: Categories of age (between 30 and 59 years old), gender (being a woman) and social-economic level (unskilled workers) entail greatest risk of PSP. Similarly, single-parent families, perception of family dysfunction, high levels of stress (OR=3.02; 95% CI, 1.76-5.18), and low social support affect PSP. CONCLUSIONS: The profile of a PSP patient in our setting is of a middle-aged woman forming part of a single-parent and/or dysfunctional family, who has suffered major SLEs and has insufficient social support.

Does vehicle color influence the risk of being passively involved in a collision?

BACKGROUND: Bright- or light-colored vehicles are sometimes regarded as safer because they are presumably more visible. We examined the effect of vehicle color on the risk of being passively involved in a collision. METHODS: This paired case-control study used data from the Spanish database of traffic crashes. We selected those collisions from 1993 to 1999 in which only one of the drivers committed an infraction. The violators constituted the control group; the other drivers formed the case group. Information about the color of the vehicle and other confounding variables was also collected. RESULTS: When white was compared with the remaining colors, a protective estimate was obtained (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.97; 95% confidence interval = 0.94-1.00). The results were similar for light colors (white plus yellow) compared with all remaining colors (aOR = 0.96; 0.94-0.99). The protective effect of light colors was specifically observed for open roads and under daylight conditions. It was stronger in conditions other than good weather (aOR = 0.91; 0.86-0.99) than in good weather conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Light colors (white and yellow) were associated with a slightly lower risk of being passively involved in a collision, although only under certain environmental conditions.

Endothelins and markers of renal damage in recently diagnosed hypertensive patients.

Endothelin has been identified as a potent vasoconstrictor. The aim of this study was to evaluate urinary endothelins and their relation to other markers of renal damage, such as microalbuminuria, creatinine, and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG), in a group of recently diagnosed (less than 1 year) hypertensive subjects and a control group. We selected 50 subjects and divided them into two groups: 27 hypertensive patients (15 females and 12 males) without previous pharmacologic therapy, and 23 healthy, normotensive subjects (12 females and 11 males). All patients underwent a history and physical examination, chest x-ray, electrocardiography, funduscopy, and hematologic and biochemical analyses. Endothelins, microalbuminuria, creatinine, and NAG values were also determined in 24-hour urine samples. Creatinine, microalbuminuria, and NAG values were found to be higher in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects. The hypertensive group showed a nonsignificant elevation of total endothelin. In conclusion, the determination of elevated urinary endothelin does not appear to be an early marker of organ damage in hypertensive subjects. The urinary excretion of protein, creatinine, and NAG was higher in hypertensive subjects. A positive correlation was found between the urinary excretion of endothelins and markers of renal damage, microalbuminuria and NAG values. The relationship between endothelins and hypertension was without statistical significance.