Assessment of social justice dimensions in young adults: The contribution of the belief in a just world and social dominance orientation upon its rising.

The aim of the study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Social Justice Scale, composed by Representation, Recognition, and Redistribution dimensions. Likewise, the contribution of social dominance and the belief in a just world in each dimension were analyzed. A total of 471 young adults residing in Madrid participated in the online preliminary study, with an age range of 18-42 years with different genders (74.1% defined themselves as female). The main results indicated adequate psychometric properties for Social Justice Scale through its three dimensions. In addition, we observed that both social dominance and belief in a just world might be psychosocial variables that modulate the levels of social justice. The main findings of the research and need for replication in future studies are discussed.

Factores psicosociales implicados en la actitud hacia la participación del futuro profesorado en Madrid / Psychosocial variables involved in the attitude toward the participation of future teachers in Madrid

A partir del Modelo Tridimensional de Justicia Social de Fraser (2008), compuesto por las dimensiones "Redistribución o Justicia Económica", "Reconocimiento o Justicia Cultural" y "Participación o Justicia Política", se llevó a cabo un estudio cuantitativo del futuro profesorado, a partir de una muestra conformada por 121 estudiantes de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (España). El principal objetivo fue evaluar en dicha población la actitud hacia la dimensión de Participación, así como, la posible relación con los factores psicosociales analizados: la Creencia Global en un Mundo Justo (BJW) y el Autoposicionamiento Político (PI). En cuanto a los resultados, se muestran los estadísticos descriptivos de los ítems de las escalas mediante las que se evalúan las variables descritas. Además, se muestran las relaciones negativas halladas entre la actitud hacia la participación, la BJW y el PI. De cara al futuro, puede ser clave continuar investigando en el ámbito educativo cómo determinados factores psicosociales influyen en la concepción de justicia social del profesorado. Se recomienda la realización de futuros estudios con una muestra mayor, de cara a avanzar con respecto a la generalización de los resultados presentados en este trabajo.

Based on the Three-dimensional Model of Social Justice (Fraser, 2008), composed of the dimensions: "Redistribution or Economic Justice", "Recognition or Cultural Justice" and "Participation or Political Justice", a quantitative study was carried out with a sample conformed by 121 training teacher students from the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain). The main aim of this paper is to evaluate in these students the attitude toward the participation dimension and the possible correlation with the other psychosocial variables analysed: Global Belief in a Just World (BJW) and Political Self-Positioning (PI). Regarding the results, the descriptive statistics of the items are shown. In addition, negative correlations between the attitude toward participation, the BJW, and the PI were found. In the future, it may be key to continue researching the attitudes and psychosocial variables that are related to the perception of the reality we live in. It is recommended to carry out future studies with a larger sample in order to enhance the generalization of these findings.

Personality disorders and health problems distinguish suicide attempters from completers in a direct comparison.

BACKGROUND: Whether suicide attempters and completers represent the same population evaluated at different points along a progression towards suicide death, overlapping populations, or completely different populations is a problem still unresolved. METHODS: 446 Adult suicide attempters and knowledgeable collateral informants for 190 adult suicide probands were interviewed. Sociodemographic and clinical data was collected for both groups using semi-structured interviews and structured assessments. Univariate analyses and logistic regression models were conducted to explore the similarities and differences between suicide attempters and completers. RESULTS: Univariate analyses yielded significant differences in sociodemographics, recent life events, impulsivity, suicide intent, and distribution of Axis I and II disorders. A logistic regression model aimed at distinguishing suicide completers from attempters properly classified 90% of subjects. The most significant variables that distinguished suicide from attempted suicide were the presence of narcissistic personality disorder (OR=21.4; 95% CI=6.8-67.7), health problems (OR=20.6; 95% CI=5.6-75.9), male sex (OR=9.6; 95% CI=4.42-20.9), and alcohol abuse (OR=5.5; 95% CI=2.3-14.2). LIMITATIONS: Our study shares the limitations of studies comparing suicide attempters and completers, namely that information from attempters can be obtained from the subject himself, whereas the assessment of completers depends on information from close family or friends. Furthermore, different semi-structured instruments assessed Axis I and Axis II disorders in suicide attempters and completers. Finally, we have no data on inter-rater reliability data. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide completers are more likely to be male and suffer from alcohol abuse, health problems (e.g. somatic illness), and narcissistic personality disorder. The findings emphasize the importance of implementing suicide prevention programs tailored to suicide attempters and completers.

Stability over time in the preferences of older persons for life-sustaining treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the stability of life-sustaining treatment preferences amongst older people and analyse the factors that influence stability. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: Primary care centres, Granada (Spain). Eighty-five persons age 65 years or older. Participants filled out a questionnaire with six contexts of illness (LSPQ-e). They had to decide whether or not to receive treatment. Participants completed the questionnaire at baseline and 18 months later. RESULTS: 86 percent of the patients did not change preferences. Sex, age, marital status, hospitalisation, and self-perception of health and pain did not affect preferences. Morbidity and the death of a relative did. CONCLUSION: Stability of preferences of older persons in relation to end-of-life decisions seems to be more probable than instability. Some factors, such as the death of a relative or the increase in morbidity, can change preferences. These findings have implications for advance directives (ADs) and advance care planning.

Erratum: Non-invasive ventilation in bronchiolitis: Analysis according to a chronologic classification.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3233/PIC-12032.].

Osteometric sex discrimination from the sternal extremity of the fourth rib in a recent forensic sample from Southwestern Spain.

The discrimination of sex is central to the process of establishing a personal identification from human skeletal remains. Previous study has demonstrated that osteometric analysis of the sternal extremity of the fourth rib provides a reasonably accurate method for assessing this biological attribute in diverse human groups. As metric standards are generally population-specific, the purpose of the current research was to evaluate the degree of sexual dimorphism present in the fourth rib among contemporary Spaniards, a group thus far not investigated, and generate discriminant function equations which can be used to estimate the sex of unidentified remains in this population. Superior-inferior height and anterior-posterior breadth dimensions of the fourth rib were collected for a sample consisting of 60 males and 57 females derived from postmortem examinations performed at the Institute of Legal Medicine, Seville, Spain. The results demonstrated that both rib dimensions were highly sexually dimorphic (p<0.0001) in this Spanish sample. Univariate discriminant function analyses yielded correct sex classification rates of 76.9% and 83.8% for breadth and height dimensions, respectively. Multivariate analysis incorporating both rib measurements improved the allocation accuracy to 86.3%, with an associated sex bias of only 0.7%. Therefore, the derived discriminant function equations, particularly those that incorporate rib height, can be effectively used in cases involving fragmentary remains in which more dimorphic elements such as the pelvis are not preserved, as well as complete skeletons to complement other metric and morphological sex assessment methods.

Museo Histórico de Enfermería Fundación José Llopis: un museo on line / Historical Museum of Nursing Jose Llopis Foundation: an online museum

El Museo Histórico de Enfermería Fundación José Llopis es un Museo On line. Su principal objetivo es difundir el patrimonio histórico de la enfermería de forma virtual, para que sea cada vez más accesible y conocido alrededor del mundo. Es un museo sin limitaciones físicas ni geográficas, un museo abierto y útil para la profesión, la formación y la investigación. En el museo, el conocimiento de distintos elementos patrimoniales, localizados en cualquier lugar y exhibidos de forma digital fortalece la identidad profesional y ayuda al desarrollo disciplinar (AU)

The Historical Nursing Museum of Jose Llopis foundation is anon line museum. It aims at disseminating the nursing historical heritage by virtual means so to make it more accessible and better known in the world. It is a museum with no physical or geographical limitations, open all the time and useful to the nursing profession and for nursing education and research. In this museum, the knowledge of the different heritage objects, being localized from many places and virtually exhibited, strengthens professional identity and contributes to the disciplinary development (AU)

Procalcitonin: a useful biomarker to discriminate infection after cardiopulmonary bypass in children.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether procalcitonin discriminates between postcardiopulmonary bypass inflammatory syndrome and infectious complication in children better than does C-reactive protein. DESIGN: Prospective study of children admitted to the intensive care unit after cardiopulmonary bypass. PATIENTS: Classified according to a diagnosis of systemic inflammatory response syndrome and bacterial infection or systemic inflammatory response syndrome but no bacterial infection. Two hundred thirty-one cases were recruited. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: Procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, and leukocyte count were measured daily from surgery until day 3. Twenty-two patients were infected (9.5%). Significant differences were detected in the procalcitonin values of the infected group vs. the noninfected group, especially at day 2 (p = .000). There were no differences in the C-reactive protein values. The optimal cutoff for procalcitonin was >2 ng/mL at day 1 and above 4 ng/mL at the day 2. There was a greater sensitivity and specificity than with C-reactive protein as an infection predictor. CONCLUSION: Procalcitonin is useful in the diagnosis of bacterial infection after cardiopulmonary bypass. Because procalcitonin kinetics are different in postcardiopulmonary bypass patients, the cutoff to diagnose infection should be different from the normal cutoff.

Non-invasive ventilation in bronchiolitis: Analysis according to a chronologic classification.

OBJECTIVE: To study patients diagnosed with bronchiolitis receiving ventilatory support with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) according to a chronologic classification: initial support (i-NIV), rescue post-extubation (r-NIV) and elective post-extubation (e-NIV); and to identify predictive factors of failure for each group. Prospective observational study (January 2004-December 2009), including all the patients with bronchiolitis admitted to pediatric intensive care unit and receiving ventilatory support with NIV. Clinical data collected at 0 (pre-NIV), 1, 2, 8, 12, 24 h of treatment were analyzed. Need for intubation was considered as NIV failure. NIV was successful in 65.8% of 152 cases included. Success rates were as follows: i-NIV (52.2%); r-NIV (72.2%); and e-NIV (90.9%) (Anova P < 0.000). Bi-level modes had higher efficacy (73%) than continuous positive airway pressure (61.5%) (Fisher's-test P = 0.049). Predictive factors of success in i-NIV group were inspired fraction of oxygen (FiO2) at 2 h, P = 0.003, higher pulse oximeter saturation (SpO2)/FiO2 values at 2 h (P = 0.009), and SpO2/FiO2 - 12 h (P = 0.05), lower heart rate (HR) at 12 h (P = 0.01), lower partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO2) previous to NIV (P = 0.009) and HR decrease-12 h (P = 0.008), In e-NIV: respiratory rate (RR)-1 h (P = 0.02), RR decrease-1 h (P = 0.006) and higher SpO2/FiO2 - 24 h (P = 0.01); in r-NIV: SpO2/FiO2 - 12 h (P = 0.04), lower HR-2 h (P = 0.03) and HR-8 h (P = 0.01). Multivariate analysis identified the groups as an independent variable (P = 0.04) but didn't show any significant value in any of the analyzed groups. Separate evaluation is advisable for i-NIV, r-NIV and e-NIV.

Plasmaféresis en un paciente pediátrico afecto de mielitis transversa y síndrome de Guillain-Barré secundario a infección por Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Plasmapheresis in a paediatric patient with transverse myelitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome secondary to infection by Mycoplasma pneumoniae

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Specific characteristics of sudden death in a mediterranean Spanish population.

Most of the data reported on sudden cardiac death has been from studies of Anglo-Saxon patients. We conducted a study to ascertain the relation between sudden death (SD) and some epidemiologic, clinical, and biochemical parameters and to assess the coronary histopathologic aspects of subjects in a Spanish population who had died suddenly. A total of 204 subjects (86% men), aged 12 to 80 years (mean 54 ± 15), who had died from out-of-hospital natural SD were evaluated. Only 15% of subjects had been previously diagnosed with heart disease. Pathologic evidence of underlying cardiovascular disease was found in 90% of cases, with coronary heart disease (CHD) the most frequent (58%). The CHD was acute coronary thrombosis in 41% and a stable plaque with luminal narrowing of ≥75% in 59%. An old myocardial infarction was found in 31% of the SD victims. Cardiac hypertrophy was found in 48%, with no relation between the presence of cardiac hypertrophy and CHD. Patients with stable plaques had a greater heart weight than did those with acute coronary thrombosis (p = 0.02). Male gender, older age, smoking, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio of ≥3 were associated with CHD. A greater percentage of patients with an eroded and/or ruptured plaque than patients with a stable plaque were smokers. Only smoking and a low-density lipoprotein/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio of ≥3 were associated with an eroded and/or ruptured plaque. In conclusion, compared with the findings from studies of Anglo-Saxon patients, a lower incidence of CHD and acute coronary thrombosis and a greater incidence of cardiac hypertrophy were found in SD victims of a Mediterranean Spanish population.

Cocaine-related sudden death: a prospective investigation in south-west Spain.

AIMS: With an estimated 12 million consumers in Europe, cocaine (COC) is the illicit drug leading to the most emergency department visits. The aim of this study was to examine a consecutive series of sudden deaths (SDs) to focus on the prevalence, the toxicological characteristics, and the causes of death in COC-related fatalities. METHODS AND RESULTS: Prospective case-control study of forensic autopsies was carried out in the time interval November 2003 to June 2006 at the Institute of Legal Medicine, Seville, south-west Spain, with a reference population of 1 875 462 inhabitants. Toxicology included blood ethanol analysis and blood and urine investigation for drugs of abuse and medical drugs. Autopsy was performed according to the European standardized protocol. Ten age- and sex-matched patients who died of violent causes with no antecedents of COC consumption and negative toxicology served as controls. During the study period, 2477 forensic autopsies were performed, including 1114 natural deaths. Among the latter, 668 fulfilled the criteria of SD and 21 (all males, mean age 34.6 +/- 7.3 years) resulted to be COC-related (3.1%). Cocaine was detected in 67.1% of the blood (median 0.17 mg/L, interquartile range 0.08-0.42) and in 83.0% of the urine samples (median 1.15 mg/L, interquartile range 0.37-17.34). A concomitant use of ethanol was found in 76.0% and cigarette smoking in 81.0%. Causes of SD were cardiovascular in 62.0%, cerebrovascular in 14.0%, excited delirium in 14.0%, respiratory and metabolic in 5.0% each. Left ventricular hypertrophy was observed in 57.0%, small vessels disease in 42.9%, severe atherosclerotic coronary artery disease in 28.6%, and coronary thrombosis in 14.3%. CONCLUSION: Systematic toxicology investigation indicates that 3.1% of SDs are COC-related and are mainly due to cardio-cerebrovascular causes. Left ventricular hypertrophy, small vessel disease, and premature coronary artery atherosclerosis, with or without lumen thrombosis, are frequent findings that may account for myocardial ischaemia at risk of cardiac arrest in COC addicts.

Pulmonary embolism and sudden-unexpected death: prospective study on 2477 forensic autopsies performed at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Seville.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) are clinical manifestations of the same entity, venous thromboembolic disease (VTD). In approximately 25% of patients, the first manifestation of PE is sudden-unexpected death. We carried out a prospective study at the forensic pathology service of the Institute of Legal Medicine in Seville with the aim to know the incidence of PE as well as to describe the epidemiological, pathological and clinical characteristics of these deaths and associated risk factors. In the study period (32 months) 32 cases of PE were registered from a total of 2447 completed autopsies. Three cases were considered accidental deaths and the remaining 29 cases were sudden natural deaths, which represents 1.3% of the total autopsies, 2.6% of natural deaths and 4.3% of sudden deaths. Nineteen cases (59%) were men (mean age 50.3+/-13.8, range 22-74 years) and 13 cases (41%) were women (mean age 50.3+/-13.8, range 18-87 years). In 78% of cases death occurred at home or during transfer to a health care centre, mainly during the fall or winter (69%) and between 8a.m. and 4p.m. (47%). Pulmonary infarction was associated only in two cases (6%). Nine cases (28%) had been immobilized but only three (9%) received anticoagulant therapy. Surgical interventions had occurred in seven cases (22%). A history of psychiatric pathology was found in 31%. Overweight or obesity was found in 75%. The most frequent symptoms prior to death were dyspnea (31%) and chest pain (19%), and 19% of patients were examined in an Emergencies Department for symptoms compatible with deep vein thrombosis and/or PE, but this diagnosis was not suspected in any case. PE frequently makes its first appearance as sudden death. In addition to the classic risk factors, this study highlights that 75% of the cases were overweight/obese as well as 31% having had a history of psychiatric disorders and treatment as to support that this association should be considered as a risk factor. PE continues to be under diagnosed in Emergencies Department patients, which hinders the application of adequate therapeutic measures to prevent these deaths.

Commotio cordis as a result of a fight: report of a case considered to be imprudent homicide.

Commotio cordis is a clinic-pathological syndrome related to sudden death in young people involved in sports activities. It has been described, mainly, in athletes without previous cardiac anomalies who received a minor blow to the chest which produces ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest in the absence of structural damage to the ribs, sternum, or heart. There are few reported cases of commotio cordis associated with violent, non-sports related actions, which are commonly considered to be imprudent homicides. We present the case of a 20-year-old man, who was kicked in the chest during a fight; he suddenly collapsed although advanced cardio-respiratory resuscitation started shortly. Autopsy showed no cardiac lesions concluding that death was due to commotio cordis (blunt trauma to the chest). Toxicological analysis determined the presence of 5.14 mg/L benzoylecgonine in blood. On the basis of medico-legal investigation, the official prosecution considered the death to be imprudent homicide and the aggressor was sentenced to 4 years in prison. We emphasize the importance of the knowledge of the death circumstances through the witnesses' testimony, prior to beginning the autopsy, to confirm this important medico-legal diagnosis. Arrhythmogenic effects of cocaine and its contribution in the production of these deaths are also exposed.

Severe head injury among children: computed tomography evaluation as a prognostic factor.

BACKGROUND: The value of neuroimaging in predicting unfavorable events in the outcome of pediatric patients has not been established. Our objectives were to determine clinical characteristics and outcome of severely head-injured children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a pediatric third-level university hospital and to evaluate the use of neuroimaging as a prognostic factor of morbimortality in these patients. METHODS: We performed a 9-year retrospective review. We included all patients with severe head injury admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of our hospital from January 1995 to December 2003 requiring invasive intracranial pressure monitoring. Clinical summaries and imaging studies were reviewed. RESULTS: Data for 156 pediatric patients, aged 1 to 18 years, were collected. We reclassified neuroimaging patterns into 2 groups: those with few imaging findings and those with important lesions. These 2 groups were significantly correlated with initial Glasgow Coma Scale (P < .05). We classified patients into favorable evolution, moderate disability, and unfavorable evolution. Poorer evolution correlated with poorer initial neuroimaging patterns, and these differences were statistically significant (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: In our group of patients, initial Glasgow Coma Scale was related with the initial neuroimaging pattern, and this relation was statistically significant. Findings in the first and second neuroimaging were useful as prognostic factors in our series.

Intracranial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure as risk factors in children with traumatic brain injuries.

OBJECT: The authors evaluated the initial intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) as prognostic factors in severe head injury in children and tried to determine the optimal CPP range. METHODS: The authors performed a 9-year retrospective review of all patients with severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) who required invasive ICP monitoring and were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at their institution between January 1995 and December 2003. These patients had Glasgow Coma Scale scores lower than 8 and/or required ICP monitoring due to worsening neurological status or neuroimaging results suggestive of cerebral hypertension. Clinical summaries and imaging studies were reviewed. Data for 156 pediatric patients who ranged in age from 1 to 18 years were obtained. Half of these patients presented with normal initial ICPs (< 20 mm Hg), and a good outcome was achieved in 80% of these children. An unfavorable outcome was observed in more than 60% of patients with an initial CPP lower than 40 mm Hg. The proportion of patients with an unfavorable outcome decreased to 10% with initial CPPs higher than 60 mm Hg, but patients with initial CPPs higher than 70 mm Hg did not improve. CONCLUSIONS: Initial ICP and CPP measurements were useful as prognostic factors in pediatric patients with severe TBIs: patients with initial CPPs between 40 and 70 mm Hg were found to have a better neurological prognosis than those with CPPs either higher or lower than that range.