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To analyze the evacuation preparedness of hospitals within the European Union (EU).
Method:
This study consisted of 2 steps. In the first step, a systematic review of the subject matter, according to the PRISMA flow diagram, was performed. Using Scopus (Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands), PubMed (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD), and Gothenburg University´s search engine, 11 questions were extracted from the review and were sent to representatives from 15 European Union (EU)- and non-EU countries.
Results:
The findings indicate that there is neither a full preparedness nor a standard guideline for evacuation within the EU or other non-EU countries in this study. A major shortcoming revealed by this study is the lack of awareness of the untoward consequences of medical decision-making during an evacuation. Some countries did not respond to the questions due to the lack of relevant guidelines, instructions, or time.
Conclusion:
Hospitals are exposed to internal and external incidents and require an adequate evacuation plan. Despite many publications, reports, and conclusions on successful and unsuccessful evacuation, there is still no common guide for evacuation, and many hospitals lack the proper preparedness. There is a need for a multinational collaboration, specifically within the EU, to establish such an evacuation planning or guideline to be used mutually within the union and the international community.
Sardinella aurita has become an important source of fish protein-intake in NW African countries, where one stock is considered from Morocco to south Senegal, performing seasonal reproductive migrations along the coast. Although data are limited for the fisheries involved and for life-history knowledge of the species in the area, a precautionary approach is recommended to avoid overexploitation. Commercial landings of round sardinella produced by the European freezer-pelagic trawlers operating in Mauritanian waters were analysed between May 2004 and February 2012. The length-weight relationships (LWRs) (N = 40,725) did not show significant differences between sexes. Ripening round sardinellas were present throughout the year, but spawning effort rose between June and December. The length at first maturity for males and females was estimated at 27.7 cm TL (2.1 years) and 28.1 cm TL (2.2 years), respectively. Ages were interpreted from otoliths, varying from 0 to 8 years. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters resulted in non-statistically significant differences between sexes (P = 0.28). Natural mortality was estimated at ~0.63 year–1. The results provide important biological information for fisheries assessment of a species that plays an important key role in the current climate change scenario and for the economies of the riparian countries.
To examine the effectiveness of an Internet Based Therapy (IBT) for Bulimia Nervosa (BN), when compared to a brief psychoeducational group therapy (PET) or a waiting list (WL).
Method:
93 female BN patients, diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria. An experimental group (31 IBT patients) was compared to two groups (31 PET and 31 WL). PET and WL were matched to the IBT group in terms of age, disorder duration, previous treatments and severity. All patients completed assesment, prior and after treatment.
Results:
Considering IBT, mean scores were lower at the end of treatment for some EDI scales and BITE symptoms scale, while the mean BMI was higher at post-therapy. Main predictors of good IBT outcome were higher scores in EDI perfectionism and higher scores on reward dependence. Drop-out was related to higher SCL-obsessive/compulsive (p=0.045) and novelty seeking (p=0.044) scores and lower reward dependence (p=0.018). At the end of the treatment bingeing and vomiting abstinence rates (22.6% for IBT, 33.3% for PET, and 0.0% for WL; p=0.003) and drop-out rates (35.5% IBT, 12.9% PET and 0% WL; p= 0.001) differed significantly between groups. While the concrete comparison between the two treatments (IBT and PET) did not evidence significant differences for success proportions (p=0.375), statistical differences for drop-out rates (p=0.038) were obtained.
Conclusions:
The results of this study suggest that an online self-help approach appears to be a valid treatment option for BN, especially for people who present lower severity of their eating disorder (ED) symptomatology and some specific personality traits.
Explore the prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts in women with bulimia nervosa (BN), and compare eating disorder symptoms, general psychopathology, impulsivity, personality, and genetic variants in four candidate genes of the serotonin pathway: the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4), serotonin receptors 1A (HTR1A) and 2A (HTR2A) and tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) between individuals who had and had not attempted suicide. Determine the best predictors of suicide attempts.
Lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts was 26.9% CI 95%: 23.2 to 30.5). BN subtype was not associated with lifetime suicide attempts (p=0.36). Compared to non-attempters, attempters exhibited higher unemployment, eating disorder symptomatology, general psychopathology, previous eating disorder treatment, impulsive behaviors, and lower educational level (p<0.004). In relation to personality traits, suicide attempters exhibited significantly (p<0.002) higher Harm Avoidance and lower Self-directedness, Reward Dependence and Cooperativeness. No significant differences in any of the genetic variants between attempters and non-attempters. The best predictors of suicide attempts were (p<0.006): lower education, minimum BMI, previous eating disorder treatment, family history of alcoholism and self-directedness.
Conclusion:
Suicidality in BN patients appears to be within the range previously found. Our results support that internalizing personality traits combined with impulsivity may increase the probability of engaging in suicidal behaviors in these patients. Our data do not support the hypothesis that variants of SLC6A4, HTR1A, HTR2A or TPH1 are associated with suicide attempts in BN individuals.
To analyze the trend of antipsychotic drug consumption in Spain from 1985 to 2000, and the impact of atypical antipsychotics on the overall consumption and on clozapine use.
Methods.
Data on antipsychotic consumption were drawn from the ECOM database of the Spanish Ministry of Health, which contains the retail community pharmacies sales of medicinal products reimbursed by the National Health System. Data are presented as defined daily doses (DDDs) per 1000 inhabitants per day, for each year. To evaluate the impact of atypical antipsychotics on clozapine use, data from the Spanish “Clozapine Monitoring Program” were analyzed. Consumption data from Nordic countries were obtained from national statistics.
Results.
The use of antipsychotics in Spain increased progressively from 1.51 DDD/1000 inhabitants/d in 1985 to 5.73 DDD/1000 inhabitants/d in 2000. The pattern of use of individual drugs changed greatly over the study period. In 1985, haloperidol, fluphenazine and thioridazine, all typical antipsychotics, were the drugs most widely used, whereas in 2000, the three drugs most frequently used were risperidone, olanzapine and haloperidol. The introduction of olanzapine in December 1996 reduced the number of new treatments with clozapine to half. Antipsychotic use is still lower in Spain than in Nordic countries, despite the prevalence of schizophrenia being similar worldwide.
Conclusions.
Antipsychotic agent use in Spain has increased progressively since 1985, reducing the differences between Spain and other European countries (Nordic countries). Substantial differences in the pattern of drug use from 1985 to 2000 have been observed.
Tobacco use has been associated with more excitement and agitation symptoms, greater severity of global psychopathology as measured by the Clinical General Impression (CGI) Scale, and psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.
Aim
To assess the effects of nicotine abstinence versus nicotine maintenance on the clinical symptoms of a sample of outpatients smokers diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Methods
Sample: 81 outpatients with schizophrenia [72.8% males; mean age (SD) = 43.35 (8.82)] currently smoking tobacco [no. of cigarettes (SD) = 27.96 (12.29)]. Desing: non-randomized, open-label, 6-month follow-up and multi-center study conducted at 3 sites in Spain (Oviedo, Santiago de Compostela and Orense). Instruments: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression for Schizophrenia (CGI-SCH), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Antropometric measures: Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Vital sings: heart rate. Procedure: Patients were assigned to 2 conditions:
– control group = patients continuing their tobacco use;
– experimental group = patients participated in vareniclina or nicotine patches treatment for smoking cessation.
Patients were evaluated at baseline (all patients smoking) and after 3 and 6 months.
Results
No significant differences (P>.05) were found between groups at baseline evaluation. Likewise, there were no significant differences between smokers and non-smokers after treatment (3 and 6 months follow-up) in their clinical symptomatology (according to PANSS, HDRS and CGI-SCH), anthropometric measures and heart rate.
Conclusions
No significant differences were found in the clinical symptoms after a period of nicotine abstinence. Therefore, clinicians should motivate and help their patients to quit smoking (CIBERSAM - FIS PI11/01891).
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
In 1988 Professor Guillermo Velarde, founder of the Instituto de Fusión Nuclear (IFN), chaired the 19th European Conference on Laser Interaction with Matter held in Madrid on 3–7 October 1988. About 170 scientists from Europe, the Soviet Union, United States, Japan, Canada, Israel, Australia, China, and South Africa participated in the ECLIM 88. ECLIM 88 was among ECLIM's series a turning point in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research. The work already performed by different laboratories in Europe, Japan, and around the world had reached a level such that without explicitly expressing it, the collective scientific consensus wanted a change in the existing close policies in several ICF areas at large Laboratories in the USA, Russia, France, and UK.
Dr. Erik Storm from the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory proposed to Professor Velarde to write a letter to be signed by the participants of the ECLIM in favor of having an open international collaboration in ICF. Professor Velarde then suggested drawing up a manifesto instead of a letter because the name manifesto had bigger historical connotations. The manifesto received a very successful response among the conference participants and was signed by more than 130 scientists. Our paper aims at twofold objective: (1) to put into account the positive repercussions derived from the MADRID MANIFESTO in the ICF research and (2) to remember the figure of Professor Guillermo Velarde, the most influential physicist in nuclear fusion energy by inertial confinement along the 20th century. His inspiration and leadership in science contributed to make this world a safer and secure place and for us, his disciples and colleagues, an irreplaceable personality in our lives.
A novel method to perform small-scale laboratory experiments that reproduce concrete–bentonite and concrete–groundwater interactions has been developed. Such interfaces will prevail in engineered barrier systems used for isolation of nuclear waste. With the goal of optimizing the experimental method, this work has analysed the geochemical interaction of distilled water, low-pH cement mortar and FEBEX-bentonite for 75 days. Limited but evident reactivity between the materials was observed, mainly decalcification in cement mortar, carbonation at the interface with bentonite and Mg enrichment in bentonite. These results are consistent with the state-of-the-art literature and were used to validate this small-scale pilot laboratory experiment to establish the basis for further studies comparing the behaviour of different buffer and cement materials.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are increasingly widespread pollutants introduced into the environment via oil spillage and incomplete anthropogenic combustion of fossil fuels. In this work, the capacity of stevensite and sepiolite to adsorb phenanthrene (PHE) has been evaluated experimentally by batch testing. Both clay minerals are distributed widely in the Madrid Basin, are of low cost and can be applied with minimal environmental impact. In the context of few previous studies, adsorption isotherms have been developed to understand the adsorption mechanisms and were fitted to the Freundlich and linear models with virtually the same results. Although stevensite showed greater adsorption capacity than sepiolite, the isotherms were constructed for equilibrium concentrations up to 0.8–1.0 mg/L due to the low solubility of PHE in water. When compared to other adsorbents the ability of stevensite to retain PAHs should be examined further in order to add and complement novel functions in reactive barriers.
Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) patients typically overmonitor their own behavior, as shown by symptoms of excessive doubt and checking. Although this is well established for the patients’ relationship with external stimuli in the environment, no study has explored their monitoring of internal body signals, a process known to be affected in anxiety-related syndromes. Here, we explored this issue through a cardiac interoception task that measures sensing of heartbeats. Our aim was to explore key behavioral and electrophysiological aspects of internal-cue monitoring in OCD, while examining their potential distinctiveness in this condition.
Method
We administered a heartbeat detection (HBD) task (with related interoceptive confidence and awareness measures) to three matched groups (OCD patients, panic disorder patients, healthy controls) and recorded ongoing modulations of two task-relevant electrophysiological markers: the heart evoked potential (HEP) and the motor potential (MP).
Results
Behaviorally, OCD patients outperformed controls and panic patients in the HBD task. Moreover, they exhibited greater amplitude modulation of both the HEP and the MP during cardiac interoception. However, they evinced poorer confidence and awareness of their interoceptive skills.
Conclusions
Convergent behavioral and electrophysiological data showed that overactive monitoring in OCD extends to the sensing of internal bodily signals. Moreover, this pattern discriminated OCD from panic patients, suggesting a condition-distinctive alteration. Our results highlight the potential of exploring interoceptive processes in the OCD spectrum to better characterize the population's cognitive profile. Finally, these findings may lay new bridges between somatic theories of emotion and cognitive models of OCD.
In the standard model of core accretion, the cores of the giant planets form by the accretion of planetesimals. In this scenario, the evolution of the planetesimal population plays an important role in the formation of massive cores. Recently, we studied the role of planetesimal fragmentation in the in situ formation of a giant planet. However, the exchange of angular momentum between the planet and the gaseous disk causes the migration of the planet in the disk. In this new work, we incorporate the migration of the planet and study the role of planet migration in the formation of a massive core when the population of planetesimals evolves by planet accretion, migration, and fragmentation.
In this work we study the interfaces between the Mott insulator LaMnO3 (LMO) and the band insulator SrTiO3 (STO) in epitaxially grown superlattices with different thickness ratios and different transport and magnetic behaviors. Using atomic resolution electron energy-loss spectral imaging, we analyze simultaneously the structural and chemical properties of these interfaces. We find changes in the oxygen octahedral tilts within the LaMnO3 layers when the thickness ratio between the manganite and the titanate layers is varied. Superlattices with thick LMO and ultrathin STO layers present unexpected octahedral tilts in the STO, along with a small amount of oxygen vacancies. On the other hand, thick STO layers exhibit undistorted octahedra while the LMO layers present reduced O octahedral distortions near the interfaces. These findings are discussed in view of the transport and magnetic differences found in previous studies.
In this paper, we explore the interfacial effects appearing in highly strained La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) ultra-thin films (10-12nm) grown on BaTiO3 (BTO) ferroelectric substrates. The strong tendency to phase separation of this optimally doped manganite contributes to the exotic phenomena observed in magnetism and transport experiments: the so-called Matteucci magnetic loops, magnetic granularity and a second metal insulator transition are observed between 50K and the LCMO Curie temperature, 180K. All these properties define the multiferroic character of these heterostructures, which in LCMO//BTO system is strongly linked to magnetoelastic coupling.