Polymethacrylate Coated Electrospun PHB Fibers as a Functionalized Platform for Bio-Diagnostics: Confirmation Analysis on the Presence of Immobilized IgG Antibodies against Dengue Virus.

In this article, a combination of far field electrospinning (FFES) and free-radical polymerization has been used to create a unique platform for protein immobilization via the physical attachment of biomolecules to the surface of the fiber mats. The large specific surface area of the fibers with its tailored chemistry provides a desirable platform for effective analyte-surface interaction. The detailed analysis of protein immobilization on a newly developed bio-receptive surface plays a vital role to gauge its advantages in bio-diagnostic applications. We relied on scanning electron microscopy (SEM), diameter range analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), along with thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), water-in-air contact angle analysis (WCA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study our developed platforms and to provide valuable information regarding the presence of biomolecular entities on the surface. Detailed analyses of the fiber mats before and after antibody immobilization have shown obvious changes on the surface of the bioreceptive surface including: (i) an additional peak corresponding to the presence of an antibody in TGA analysis; (ii) extra FTIR peaks corresponding to the presence of antibodies on the coated fiber platforms; and (iii) a clear alteration in surface roughness recorded by AFM analysis. Confirmation analyses on protein immobilization are of great importance as they underlay substantial grounds for various biosensing applications.

[Violence between couples]. / La violencia en la pareja.

This article describes variables related to different forms of violence in couples. These variables have been organized in a theoretical model that takes into account cultural factors, sociodemographic and family characteristics, attitudes, and other variables defined as inhibitors and facilitators of violence in conflict situations. For the ACTIVA project, a representative sample consisting of 10,821 people was interviewed in eight cities. For this research on couples, 6,184 of those responses were taken into consideration, from persons who were in a marriage or an unmarried relationship during the year before the interview. The data were obtained from verbal responses to a questionnaire completed in the interviewees' residences. The variables that were clearly associated with couples violence were: socioeconomic level (the fewer the economic resources, the greater the violence), gender (women reported both using and receiving more violence than men did, although the actual level of violence was similar), age (there was more violence between younger people), marital status (there was more violence between unmarried persons), childhood abuse (those most abused in childhood), excessive alcohol consumption (those who have gotten drunk), holding attitudes justifying violence, and having fewer skills to deal with conflicts. Acts of violence, which both men and women commit in relationships, originate in the socialization process, both through the practice of abuse as well as the transmission of values that lead to attitudes justifying violence. A number of things could help markedly reduce the levels of couples violence, including a balance of power between the two persons in the relationship, a modification of attitudes, an improvement in conflict-resolution skills, and a reduction in stress-producing factors.

[Authoritarian attitudes and violence in Madrid]. / Actitudes autoritarias y violencia en Madrid.

One of the objectives of the Multicentric Study on Cultural Norms and Attitudes Toward Violence (Estudio Multicéntrico sobre Actitudes y Normas Culturales frente a la Violencia, the ACTIVA project) is to analyze the relationship between those attitudes that foster violence and the violent behaviors themselves. This article examines the relationship between attitudes and two components of violence: its justification and its actual occurrence. Data were collected in Madrid between October and December 1996 from a representative sample of 1,219 people, who were interviewed at home with the common questionnaire used for the ACTIVA project, with some additional questions. Overall, the sample respondents scored low on the authoritarianism scale. Persons who most strongly justified the use of violence scored higher on authoritarianism, along with those who customarily displayed a higher level of aggression. Attitudes that were more strongly authoritarian were found in low-income neighborhoods, in people who were not part of the workforce, in people with less education, and in those persons who described themselves as having a right-wing ideology. If people who are more authoritarian justify and practice violence more than others, it becomes necessary to encourage criticism of those who abuse their power and tolerance toward differences, in order to prevent such behaviors without disregarding the influence of the social variables previously mentioned.

[Comparative study of medical advice and cognitive-behavioral group therapy in the treatment of child-adolescent obesity]. / Estudio comparativo entre el consejo médico y la terapia grupal cognitivo conductual en el tratamiento de la obesidad infantojuvenil.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of medical advice and cognitive-behavioral group therapy in the treatment of primary obesity in children and adolescents 7 to 15 years old. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From five primary care centers 353 subjects (176 boys and 177 girls) were recruited and assigned to three groups. These groups were: medical advice (Group 1), cognitive-behavioral group therapy (Group 2) and those that rejected all treatments (Group 3). Forty variables were controlled and studied for association with prognosis. RESULTS: A significant, but modest decrease in relative body mass index was noted in groups 1 and 2 in the first 6 months, but at two years no differences between the three groups were detected. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that cognitive-behavioral group therapy is not more effective than medical advice in our population and neither had a significant effect at two years when compared to no treatment.