Repurposing of Marine Raw Materials in the Formulation of Innovative Plant Protection Products.

Over the years, the growth of the world population has caused a huge agricultural production to support the population's needs. Since plant protection products are essential to preserve agricultural crops and to optimize vital plant processes, it is crucial to use more sustainable, biodegradable, and biocompatible raw materials, without harming the environment and human health. Although the development of new plant protection products is a costly process, the environmental benefits should be considered. In this context, marine raw materials obtained as byproducts of fishing industries, possessing a wide variety of physicochemical and biological properties, can serve as a promising source of such materials. They have a high potential for developing alternative and safe formulations for agricultural applications, not only as biocompatible excipients but also as effective and selective, or even both. It is also possible to promote a synergistic effect between an active substance and the biological activity of the marine polymer used in the formulation, enabling plant protection products with lower concentrations of the active substances. Thus, this review addresses the repurposing of marine raw materials for the development of innovative plant protection products, focusing on micro- and nanoparticulate formulations, to protect the environment through more ecological and sustainable strategies.

Programa de soporte a la primaria: Un análisis descriptivo y de concordancia diagnóstica entre médico/a de atención primaria y psicólogo/a / Program support to primary: A descriptive analysis and diagnostic concordance between primary care physician and psychologist

Objetivos: Describir las características del Programa de Soporte a la Primaria (PSP) y analizar la concordancia diagnóstica entre Médicos de Atención Primaria (MAP) y Psicólogos/as del programa. Metodología: Estudio descriptivo longitudinal realizado en 2010 en 7 CAPs de Barcelona. La muestra son 769 pacientes derivados a psicología. Se utilizan estadísticos descriptivos para analizar las variables sociodemográficas y la kappa de Cohen para valorar la concordancia. Resultados: El tiempo de espera medio entre derivación y primera visita es 28 días. La media de intervenciones por paciente es 3 visitas. Un 27% son dados de alta, un 20% abandonan. Existe una baja concordancia global entre MAP y Psicólogo/a. El diagnóstico más frecuentemente realizado por los MAP es Trastorno de Ansiedad. Los psicólogos/as diagnostican con igual frecuencia Trastornos Ansiosos (21%), Depresión (20.2%) y Trastornos Adaptativos (19.6%). Conclusiones: El PSP ofrece intervenciones breves y especializadas desde Atención Primaria. La baja concordancia indica la necesidad de aumentar espacios de interconsulta (AU)

Background: The objective is to describe characteristics of Program Support to Primary (PSP) and analyze diagnostic concordance between Primary Care Physicians (PCP) and psychologists. Method: A descriptive, longitudinal study conducted in 2010 in 7 Barcelona’s primary care centers. The sample of 769 patients referred to psychology (referral form issued by doctors). Descriptive statistics, Cohen’s kappa and percentage agreement were used to analyze demographic variables, to assess agreement. Results: The average waiting time between referral and first visit is 28 days. Mean interventions per patient is 3 visits. 27% of patients are discharged, 20% drop. It is a low overall concordance between PCP and psychologist, the most common diagnosis made by the PCP is anxiety disorder. Psychologists diagnosed with the same frequency anxiety disorders (21%), depression (20.2 %) and adaptive disorders (19.6 %). Conclusions: PSP offers brief and specialized interventions in Primary Care. Low concordance indicates a need to increase opportunities for communication between professionals through tools such as consultation (AU)

Assessing the impact of health policies on COPD.

UNLABELLED: COPD is a leading but under-recognized cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the world, and the fifth commonest cause of death in England and Wales, accounting for nearly 28,000 deaths each year. METHODS: the author analyses systematically the national policies around chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as the long term smoking cessation and NICE and BTS recommendations on COPD. Finding/conclusion: the analysis of current national policies on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease leads to a discussion to justify the need for a National Service Framework on this chronic disease. The current and future impact on local implementation is also analysed.

Cervical screening in an Orthodox Jewish community.

This article discusses the possible conflicts of interest in offering cervical screening to Orthodox Jewish women. Women in this community are at lower risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia than the general population and may object to screening because of religious reasons. The author suggests that national targets should be flexible to accommodate different cultures. Practice nurses can then concentrate on providing the most appropriate care for different ethnic minorities.