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Psychometric properties of performance based tests in patients with Fibromyalgia: A systematic review
Get PDFFibromyalgia (FM) impacts patients’ health status, functioning and quality of life. Accurate diagnosis and effective treatment planning require reliable, valid and responsive measures of these domains. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of performance based tests (PBTs) in FM and to quantify the availability of reliable, valid and responsive PBTs linked to key International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) categories related to functional impact. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA checklist, and four databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science) were searched. Eligible studies contained information on population, intervention (assessment), and outcomes (PBTs and their psychometric properties). The risk of bias and the methodological quality were assessed according to the COSMIN criteria. Twenty-two studies evaluating twenty-six PBTs were included. PBTs were linked to five ICF categories: exercise tolerance, muscle power and muscle endurance and changing basic body position and walking. The psychometric properties assessed were reliability, validity and responsiveness. The 6 min walking test was the most often assessed PBT with moderate quality of evidence for reliability, and very good methodological quality for validity. Overall, the methodological quality for reliability was rated as doubtful with very low to moderate evidence, for validity we found very good methodological quality with low to high evidence. No studies investigated criterion validity, and construct validity and responsiveness were seldom determined. Clinicians assessing FM patients should carefully select PBTs. Future research on PBTs psychometrics in FM should follow COSMIN recommendations, ensuring control of symptom variability.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Survival analysis of small business during COVID-19 pandemic, a brazilian case study
Get PDFThe impact of COVID-19 on the economy was devastating. Small businesses typically have few resources to fight against such adversity. Many businesses remained closed for some time during the pandemic period, resulting in significant consequences for people in terms of jobs, income and life. The objective of this research is to identify the factors that contributed to increasing company failures during the pandemic. Furthermore, this study aims to verify whether the size of the companies, the sectors of economic activity in which they operate and their geographic location influence enterprise failure. This article analyzes the survival of 8931 small businesses from 2017 to 2023, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The study applied a survival analysis using the Kaplan–Meier procedure, complemented with the Cox procedure, to determine the effects of the size of companies, sector activity and location on the survival time. The results indicate that survival is much higher in small companies with large revenues that are located in the Campaign and West Frontier regions, as well as in the Northeast, North, Production, South, Taquari, and Rio Pardo Valleys regions, whereas the survival rates were extremely lower in the commercial sector and in financial intermediation activities. In the second analysis restricted to the commerce sector, the data highlighted the retail activities, accommodation and food activities sectors as the most affected in terms of overall survival. The results indicated that the survival of small business remained relatively strong during the COVID-19 pandemic, signaling the pertinent support from the government. The smallest business with revenues under USD 15,576 (BRL 81,000) per year were the most affected, with only 39% survival after 7 years. Some activities and some regions suffered more than others, emphasizing the need for special attention from authorities in future catastrophes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Cercant la trajectòria vital i la projecció al futur en adolescents amb risc d’abandonament escolar
Get PDFTFM del Màster Universitari en Psicologia General Sanitària tutoritzat per Meritxell PachecoL’adolescència, és una etapa complexa tant per l’adolescent, les famílies i les persones
que ajuden en el seu creixement i educació. En el context d’adolescents amb risc
d’abandonament escolar, es treballa amb una mostra de 10 adolescents estudiants de
PFI per tal d’analitzar qualitativament quina relació s’estableix entre la construcció de
la història de vida d’aquests adolescents i les motivacions que els guien en la seva
projecció a futur. Això permetrà establir les bases d’un futur disseny de pla tutorial,
basat en el treball individual i d’aula, centrat en la pròpia identitat i la cerca eficient de
motivacions.
Les mesures d’anàlisi emprades, s’han realitzat a partir de criteris qualitatius, de
les entrevistes narratives, la qual ens ofereix una visió més completa i significant pel
treball que ens ocupa, realitzant l’anàlisi de contingut respecte a la història de vida, i
relacionant amb la satisfacció de vida i els possibles selves.
La narrativa que tenen els adolescents envers si mateixos, ens ajuda a observar
com la connexió amb la teoria de la motivació basada en la identitat (IBM, Oyserman,
2015) i una perspectiva de la cultura com a cognició situada (Oyserman, 2017) ens
referencia com la construcció del jo pot facilitar o perjudicar la motivació envers la seva
projecció de futur.info:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersio
Programa psicoeducativo y de acompañamiento grupal para mujeres con diagnóstico de cáncer de mama
Get PDFTFM del Màster Universitari en Psicologia General Sanitària tutoritzat per Inés Aramburu AlegretEl cáncer de mama es el tumor maligno más frecuente en mujeres en todo el mundo, el cual
genera un gran impacto a quien lo padece. El análisis y detección de necesidades revela que,
a pesar de que existan intervenciones en mujeres con cáncer de mama, no existen
intervenciones aplicadas en el momento del diagnóstico ni que abarquen las características de
esta intervención en España. Además, las cuatro mujeres entrevistadas, que habían padecido
un cáncer de mama, concuerdan con una falta de información y acompañamiento psicológico
por parte del hospital. Por lo que se propone un programa de intervención grupal basado en la
psicoeducación y acompañamiento en mujeres diagnosticadas de cáncer de mama con el
objetivo de poder mejorar la calidad de vida de estas pacientes y prevenir el riesgo de que
estas desarrollen sintomatología ansiosa o depresiva que pueda revertir negativamente en el
tratamiento o recuperación. Dicha intervención consta de 10 sesiones de una hora y media
repartidas en 7 módulos, los cuales se titulan; inicio, diagnóstico, apoyo, autoestima, imagen
corporal, sexualidad y cierre. Las sesiones se llevarían a cabo semanalmente, por lo que la
duración de la intervención sería de dos meses y medio y se realizarían en un contexto
hospitalario. Se considera importante la implementación de esta intervención y la destinación
de más recursos para seguir estudiando y desarrollando intervenciones dirigidas a acompañar
a estas mujeres y se hace hincapié en la sensibilización del acompañamiento que necesitan
estas pacientes por parte del hospital.Breast cancer is the most frequent malignant tumour in women worldwide, which has a great
impact on those who suffer from it. The analysis and detection of needs reveals that, despite
the existence of interventions for women with breast cancer, there are no interventions
applied at the time of diagnosis or that cover the characteristics of this intervention in Spain.
In addition, the four women interviewed, who had suffered from breast cancer, agreed that
there was a lack of information and psychological support from the hospital. Therefore, we
propose a group intervention programme based on psychoeducation and support for women
diagnosed with breast cancer in order to improve the quality of life of these patients and
prevent the risk of them developing anxious or depressive symptoms that could have a
negative impact on their treatment or recovery. This intervention consists of 10 sessions of an
hour and a half divided into 7 modules, which are entitled; initiation, diagnosis, support, self-
esteem, body image, sexuality and closure. The sessions would be carried out weekly, so the
duration of the intervention would be two and a half months and would take place in a
hospital context. The implementation of this intervention and the allocation of more resources
to continue studying and developing interventions aimed at accompanying these women is
considered important, and emphasis is placed on raising awareness of the accompaniment
that these patients need from the hospital
Effect on satiety-related biomarkers of bar snacks containing chickpea flour and pork protein
Get PDFThis project aims to establish the acceptability and satiety of a hybrid snack containing plant protein and a small percentage of animal protein compared to a meat-based snack. Design: Randomised, crossover, double-blind, controlled post-prandial trial involving 24 participants (18–30 years), with two interventions: (a) a hybrid snack containing plant protein derived from chickpeas and 6.6% lean high-quality pork meat; and (b) a meat-based snack containing 90% lean pork meat. Methods: General, life-style, sensory acceptability questionnaire, and the following laboratory analyses were performed: lipid profile, endocannabinoids, and related compounds. Results: Sensory questionnaires showed in general good acceptability for both bars. Additionally, there was a greater increase in glycemia at 30, 60, and 90 min after consuming the hybrid snack compared to the meat-based snack, with no changes in the lipid profile. Regarding the endocannabinoid compounds and related compounds, the compound N-palmitoleoyl ethanolamine in the acylethanolamide group showed higher levels overall following the consumption of the hybrid snack compared to the meat-based snack, particularly at 2 h. Conclusions: The hybrid snack was associated with changes in endocannabinoid-like compounds. Therefore, it may provide a lasting satiating effect, while complementing the protein profile of plant-based foods with the quality of animal protein.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Lack of pragmatic attitude of self-labelled pragmatic trials on manual therapy: a methodological review
Get PDFBackground Pragmatic randomized controlled trials are getting more interest to improve trials’ external validity. This
study aimed to assess how pragmatic the design of the self-labelled pragmatic randomised controlled trials in the
manual therapy field is.
Methods We searched MEDLINE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for self-labelled pragmatic
randomised controlled trials in the manual therapy field until January 2024 were included. Two independent
reviewers collected and extracted data related to the intention of the trial, the rationale for the intervention, and
specific features of the trial and performed an assessment using the PRECIS-2 tool.
Results Of 39 self-labelled pragmatic trials, the mean PRECIS-2 score was 3.5 (SD: 0.6). Choice of outcome measures,
how the interventions were performed, the follow-up of the participants and how all the available data were included
in the statistical analysis were the domains rated as most ‘pragmatic’. Participants’ eligibility, recruitment, and setting
obtained lower scores. Less than 25% of the trials claimed that the aim was to investigate an intervention under
real-world conditions and to make clinical decisions about its effectiveness. In the 21% of the sample the authors
described neither the proof-of-concept of the intervention nor the state of previous studies addressing related
research questions.
Conclusions Self-labelled pragmatic randomised controlled trials showed a moderately pragmatic attitude. Beyond
the label ‘pragmatic’, the description of the intention of the trial and the context of every PRECIS-2 domain is crucial to
understanding the real pragmatism of a trial.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Competition in schedules with cursed traders
Get PDFWe study a market with sellers that compete in supply functions, face an elastic demand, and have imperfect cost information. In our model, sellers neglect some informational content of the price. In order to capture this feature, we use the cursed expectations equilibrium concept. In the linear-quadratic-normal framework, this paper presents conditions under which the unique equilibrium in linear supply functions exists and derives some comparative statics results. Compared to markets with fully rational sellers, we find that market power and the expected price-cost margin are lower; the price reaction to private information can be higher due to imperfect competition and demand elasticity; expected profits can be greater; and expected total surplus can also increase if the efficiency gains from reduced market power outweigh the losses from cursedness.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Marketing strategies for the Silver Generation in Spain: Success factors
Get PDFLa Generación Silver, la población conformada por los adultos mayores, en países como España y los de su entorno próximo, representa un segmento demográfico en constante crecimiento, como consecuencia del aumento de la esperanza de vida, y con un peso porcentual cada vez mayor sobre el total de la población, debido a la disminución de la tasa de natalidad. El objetivo principal de este trabajo es conocer y analizar las características y los comportamientos de este perfil demográfico, diverso y heterogéneo, que paulatinamente se va adaptando al uso de nuevas tecnologías, incluyendo sus preferencias sobre los diferentes canales o medios de comunicación que utilizan, la forma de relacionarse con las empresas ofertantes y con sus productos y servicios, así como su valoración de la efectividad de las actuales estrategias de marketing dirigidas a personas mayores. Se ha utilizado metodología de tipo cuantitativo, a partir de fuente primaria, una encuesta realizada a personas mayores de 55 años residentes en España. Los resultados reflejan la existencia de un notable descontento en torno a las campañas publicitarias dirigidas hacia esa generación, pues se estima que no se emplean los canales más adecuados y que no se están desarrollando estrategias coherentes y respetuosas con su forma de ser y pensar. Se concluye que la personalización en el trato, la generación de confianza y la mejora de la accesibilidad a los nuevos sistemas de compra deberán permitir relaciones comerciales sólidas y duraderas entre las empresas y este grupo poblacional.The Silver Generation, the population made up of older adults, in countries like Spain and those in its immediate surroundings, represents a demographic segment in constant growth, as a consequence of the increase in life expectancy, and with an increasingly greater percentage weight on the total population, due to the decrease in the birth rate. The main objective of this work is to know and analyze the characteristics and behaviors of this diverse and heterogeneous demographic profile, which is gradually adapting to the use of new technologies, including their preferences regarding the different channels or media they use, the way they relate to the offering companies and their products and services, as well as their assessment of the effectiveness of current marketing strategies aimed at older people. A quantitative methodology has been used, based on a primary source, a survey carried out on people over 55 years of age residing in Spain. The results reflect the existence of significant discontent regarding advertising campaigns directed towards that generation, since they estimate that they do not use the most appropriate channels and coherent strategies, and they are not developed with respect to their way of being and thinking. It is concluded that personalization in treatment, the generation of trust and improving accessibility to new purchasing systems should allow for solid and lasting commercial relationships between companies and this generation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
PExM: polyplex expansion microscopy for cell trafficking studies
Get PDFNanomedicine is a field at the intersection of nanotechnology and medicine, promising due to its potential to revolutionize healthcare. Despite its long trajectory, there is still a long road ahead for its full development, and smart design of nanomedicines is still a challenge. Among other problems, this is due to the scarcity of tools available for the precise visualization and comprehension of nano–bio interactions, impeding progress towards the clinical phase. One of the developed tools that stands out to be a strong nanoscopy technique for studying nano-delivery systems within cellular environments is expansion microscopy (ExM). This technique was used for tissue and cell expansion and most recently for lipid molecule expansion inside cells. Herein, we present for the first time polyplex expansion microscopy (PExM); a comprehensive examination of ExM as an already developed technique, but adapted for expanding polymer based nanocarriers, in particular polyplexes within cells, allowing the analysis of their trafficking. With our method set up, PExM will be extensively used for the study of polyplex nanoparticle cell trafficking, becoming a high-resolution technique which can also be applied to primary amine containing polymeric nanoparticles without requiring expensive super-resolution microscopes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Savouring the Present to Better Recall the Past
Get PDFSo far, there is evidence showing that the use of specific emotion regulation strategies in response to negatively-valenced stimuli shapes the way people subsequently remember them. However, still little is known about the potential effects of savouring positive events on the associated memories. The aim of the current study was to test whether upregulating positive emotions in response to daily positive events could make participants’ memories more salient and positively-valenced over time. To do so, we conducted an ecological momentary assessment study in order to identify the occurrence of positive events and provide participants with different emotion regulation strategies in real-time. To explore memory phenomenology, a surprise recall task for each event was performed one week after. Compared to the control condition, the manipulation of savouring led to recall the events with greater salience (i.e., more vivid, coherent, accessible, full of sensory details, first-person recalled memories) which, in turn, led to retrieve the memory more positively. Furthermore, the findings indicated that each strategy uniquely affected different phenomenological dimensions of memory. Together, we suggest that differences in the use of savouring strategies might impact memory, leading to the recall of events with higher salience and to the maintenance of their positivity over time.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio