Province Of Lleida Research Articles

Psychiatric Emergencies and Suicide Attempts Before and During COVID-19 Lockdown in Spain.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the mental health of the population. The lockdown period in Spain - from March 14 to June 21, 2020 - was particularly stressful. This study aims to examine the differences in visits to the emergency department for psychiatric reasons before and during the lockdown period in a hospital in the province of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain), which has a catchment area of 431,183 inhabitants. We hope that this study can contribute to the understanding of this difficult period in our recent history and help us to be prepared in case of new social emergencies that may affect the mental health of the general population. Aims: This study aims to examine the differences in ER visits due to psychiatric reasons before and during the COVID-19 lockdown period in a province hospital in Spain. Methods: We compared the n = 1,599 visits to the emergency room and their characteristics before (June 13 to March 13, 2020) and during (March 14 to June 21, 2020) the lockdown period in the province of Lerida, Spain. Data were obtained from the electronic health records. Information collected included sociodemographic variables, reason for consultation, previous diagnosis, and characteristics of suicidal ideation and attempts - including history of previous suicidal behavior, method, days spent in the ER, suicide reattempts at 6-month follow-up. Results: Before lockdown, there were an average of 11.2 psychiatric emergencies per day compared with 9.2 psychiatric emergencies per day during lockdown. Regarding suicidal behavior, before lockdown, there were an average of 0.9 suicide attempts before lockdown compared with 0.7 attempts per day during lockdown. Limitations: Since the data came from the electronic health records, we have relied on the clinical diagnosis made by different psychiatrists. Also, we did not record psychiatric comorbidities, but instead only registered one main Axis I diagnosis and one main Axis II diagnosis. Conclusions: We observed a decrease in the number of visits to the ER in general, as well as a lower frequency of patients with suicidal behavior during the first and only lockdown period in Spain, which occurred during the initial months of the pandemic. This is consistent with previous studies showing a reduction of suicidal behavior during periods of social emergency. However, this decrease could be only temporary, and several authors predict an increase of suicidal behavior in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. Ensuring access to mental healthcare during periods of crisis is crucial for the population.

The Roman Conquest of Hispania Citerior. Strategies and Archaeological Evidence in the North-Eastern Peninsular Area. (II-I BCE): the Examples of Puig Castellar of Biosca and Can Tacó (Catalonia, Spain)

The aim of this paper is to provide data for the knowledge of the strategies followed by Rome to take effective control of the Citerior Province of Hispania during the 2nd century BC. We will analyse two settlements of the north-eastern region, namely Puig Castellar de Biosca (Province of Lleida) and Can Tacó (Province of Barcelona), that will serve to gauge the degree of Roman territorial implementation and under what forms this power will be consolidated. The period that interests us ranges from the end of the second Punic-Roman conflict to the first decades of the 1st century BC. It was a slow process in which Rome did not have a pre-established plan of action but was adapting its strategy to the different circumstances and stages of the conquest. The end of all this was the final control and pacification of the country. While all the researchers have a common understanding that during the first phase of control of the Hispanic territories the army played the most important role, the main discrepancies are related to the nature and characteristics of this occupation. The main focus in this discussion has its centre in the need to define how the Roman Army embodied his presence in Hispania during the first century of conquest and to characterise the different settlements in order to identify and determine with precision their military character or their connection with the process of conquest without a strictly military function. Funding: This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (De la consolidación del poder militar romana a la fundación de ciudades (mediados del siglo II a.C.-principios del siglo I d.C). en la Cuenca del rio Segre: Iesso y Iulia Libica DGYCIT PID2019-104120GB-I00-2023-2021), and the Department of Culture of the Catalan Autonomous Government (La conquesta romana a la Catalunya interior: l’exemple de Puig Castellar (Biosca), CLT009/18/00014).

Linguistic Acculturation Preferences of Autochthonous Students Toward Their Latin American Peers in Western Catalonia

ABSTRACT Located in the province of Lleida (Catalonia, Spain), this study aims to identify and analyze the predictors of linguistic acculturation preferences of autochthonous high-school students toward their peers of Latin American descent. Autochthonous high-school students (N = 349) filled a questionnaire measuring linguistic acculturation and a series of linguistic and social-psychological variables (i.e. multicultural ideology, ethnic tolerance, attitudes toward minority languages, identification with Catalan culture and identification with Spanish culture). A k-means cluster analysis identified that autochthonous students endorse two linguistic acculturation preferences toward their Latin American peers: assimilation and multilingual preferences. Meanwhile, a logistic regression model found that participants with higher scores on attitudes toward minority languages have more likelihood to endorse a multilingual preference. The results highlight the importance and need to further work for a genuine intercultural educational model that allows the integration of Latin American students as well as of other minority groups. Particularly, this study found the importance of boosting the use of minority languages through educational approaches such as translanguaging and language architecture.

Use of Multiple Correspondence Analysis and K-means to Explore Associations Between Risk Factors and Likelihood of Colorectal Cancer: Cross-sectional Study.

BackgroundPrevious works have shown that risk factors are associated with an increased likelihood of colorectal cancer.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to detect these associations in the region of Lleida (Catalonia) by using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and k-means.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was made up of 1083 colorectal cancer episodes between 2012 and 2015, extracted from the population-based cancer registry for the province of Lleida (Spain), the Primary Care Centers database, and the Catalan Health Service Register. The data set included risk factors such as smoking and BMI as well as sociodemographic information and tumor details. The relations between the risk factors and patient characteristics were identified using MCA and k-means.ResultsThe combination of these techniques helps to detect clusters of patients with similar risk factors. Risk of death is associated with being elderly and obesity or being overweight. Stage III cancer is associated with people aged ≥65 years and rural/semiurban populations, while younger people were associated with stage 0.ConclusionsMCA and k-means were significantly useful for detecting associations between risk factors and patient characteristics. These techniques have proven to be effective tools for analyzing the incidence of some factors in colorectal cancer. The outcomes obtained help corroborate suspected trends and stimulate the use of these techniques for finding the association of risk factors with the incidence of other cancers.

Urgent care and suicidal behavior in the child and adolescent population in a psychiatric emergency department in a Spanish province during the two COVID-19 states of alarm.

IntroductionThe COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown may have an impact in mental health among youth, but reports of psychiatry emergency department encounters in young Spanish population are scarce. The aim of this study is to characterize the reasons for psychiatric urgent care of youth during COVID-19 pandemic in our hospital.Material and methodsThis cross-sectional study compare visits to the psychiatry emergency department and their characteristics in young patients in the province of Lleida before and after the pandemic with special attention to the two states of alarm and suicidal behavior. Information regarding sociodemographic status, chief complaints, diagnosis, characteristics of suicidal behavior, and other data were obtained from the electronic medical records.ResultsWithin the total psychiatric emergency attendances, youth patients increased a 83.5% in the second state of alarm (p = 0.001). In this period patients were younger (p = 0.006), had less psychiatric history (p = 0.017) and their living conditions changed with an increase of those living with relatives (p = 0.004). Suicidal ideation care increased without statistical significance (p = 0.073). Multiple logistic regression identifies independent risk factors for suicidal behavior being female (OR: 2.88 [1.39–5.98]), living with relatives (OR: 3.49 [1.43–8.54]), and having a diagnosis of depression (OR: 6.34 [3.58–11.24]).ConclusionsThe number of young people seen in psychiatric emergencies during the chronic stage of the pandemic increased, and these were getting younger and without previous psychiatric contact. The trend to higher rates of suicidal ideation indicates that youth experienced elevated distress during these periods, especially women, living with relatives and presenting depression.

A data-driven method for unsupervised electricity consumption characterisation at the district level and beyond

A bottom-up electricity characterisation methodology of the building stock at the local level is presented. It is based on the statistical learning analysis of aggregated energy consumption data, weather data, cadastre, and socioeconomic information. To demonstrate the validity of this methodology, the characterisation of the electricity consumption of the whole province of Lleida, located in northeast Spain, is implemented and tested. The geographical aggregation level considered is the postal code since it is the highest data resolution available through the open data sources used in the research work. The development and the experimental tests are supported by a web application environment formed by interactive user interfaces specifically developed for this purpose. The paper’s novelty relies on the application of statistical data methods able to infer the main energy performance characteristics of a large number of urban districts without prior knowledge of their building characteristics and with the use of solely measured data coming from smart meters, cadastre databases and weather forecasting services. A data-driven technique disaggregates electricity consumption in multiple uses (space heating, cooling, holidays and baseload). In addition, multiple Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are derived from this disaggregated energy uses to obtain the energy characterisation of the buildings within a specific area. The potential reuse of this methodology allows for a better understanding of the drivers of electricity use, with multiple applications for the public and private sector.

Las escuelas rurales desde sus debilidades hasta sus fortalezas: análisis actual

Thanks to the joint struggle of rural teachers and other social agents, since the end of the 20th century, the reviled image of rural schools has been reversed and their potential has become evident, until they are now perceived as educational institutions of great value. This paper analyses the current situation of rural schools. Specifically, it aims to look in depth at its strengths and weaknesses, emphasising four aspects which stand out in previous studies: organisation of the school, teaching team, students, relationship with families and material resources. This is based on a set of in-depth interviews and a survey, carried out in the first phase of the project, aimed at 240 representatives of the management teams of the nursery, primary, compulsory secondary, secondary school and vocational training centres in the province of Lleida, of which 71 were rural schools. The quantitative results, limited to schools located in rural environments and analysed in this study, show that the rural school is full of potential thanks largely to an organisation that makes the most of limited resources and makes it possible to create better coordinated working environments. The involvement of families is also highlighted and a very positive view of the school climate and good coexistence in rural schools is detected, an issue that has not been identified in recent scientific literature on this type of centre.

A Data-Driven Method for Unsupervised Electricity Consumption Characterisation at the District Level and Beyond

A bottom-up electricity characterisation methodology of the building stock at the local level is presented. It is based on the statistical learning analysis of aggregated energy consumption data, weather data, cadastre, and socioeconomic information. To demonstrate the validity of this methodology, the characterisation of the electricity consumption of the whole province of Lleida, located in northeast Spain, is implemented and tested. The geographical aggregation level considered is the postal code since it is the highest data resolution available through the open data sources used in the research work. The development and the experimental tests are supported by a web application environment formed by interactive user interfaces specifically developed for this purpose. The paper's novelty relies on the application of statistical data methods able to infer the main energy performance characteristics of a large number of urban districts without prior knowledge of their building characteristics and with the use of solely measured data coming from smart meters, cadastre databases and weather forecasting services. A data-driven technique disaggregates electricity consumption in multiple uses (space heating, cooling, holidays and baseload). In addition, multiple Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are derived from this disaggregated energy uses to obtain the energy characterization of the buildings within a specific area. The potential reuse of this methodology allows for a better understanding of the drivers of electricity use, with multiple applications for the public and private sector.

Serrat dels Espinyers (Isona i Conca Dellà, Lleida, Catalonia), a multi-period storage site in the Pre-Pyrenees

Until recently, the archaeological record for the Iberian culture (Second Iron Age) in Pallars Jussà (Pre-Pyrenees in the province of Lleida) was poorly known; consequently, nothing could be said about cereal storage systems. The panorama changed radically after a number of archaeological rescue excavations between 2004 and 2010, especially at Serrat dels Espinyers. Although the site, which lies in the suburban area of the Iberian and Roman city of Aeso (Isona), was only partially excavated, it reveals surprising continuity in the grain storage function, showing changes and adaptations in the systems used, from a complex of grain storage pits (usually known as a ‘camp de sitges’ in Catalan or a ‘camp de silos’ in Spanish) with a hermetic atmosphere in the Iberian and Ibero-Roman periods, to a large well-ventilated double horreum built on pillars, in which the atmosphere could be renewed, in the first centuries of the Roman Empire.

La protección social de los trabajadores temporeros en la agricultura española: el caso de la campaña de la fruta dulce ilerdense

The situations of exploitation and precariousness are a reality usually linked to the group of seasonal workers. For this reason, this article seeks to know the most outstanding characteristics of the social protection system of agricultural seasonal workers in Spain. To achieve this goal, more than 40 semi-structured interviews were carried out with different actors that take part of the organization of the agricultural campaign in the province of Lleida and also a survey was conducted to 900 person who worked or looked for work as seasonal workers in that region. Through the investigation, it was detected how the organization of the campaign is carried out, what assessment are made by the professionals and representatives of entities that collaborate as well as the seasonal workers themselves, how many people this system covers, which entities are the ones that provide help and of what type these are. The final reflections made from the results obtained point to a reduction of the most extreme situations but to an inability to break the precariousness that this collective lives.

Epidemiology of Psoriasis. A Population-Based Study

Background and objectivesPsoriasis is a chronic immunoinflammatory skin disease very frequent in the western world. Several authors have tried to calculate its prevalence in different regions, although most of them obtained the data from surveys and there are few publications from Mediterranean areas.The objective of our study was to analyze the prevalence and severity of psoriasis in Lleida (a northeastern region in Spain), identify age and sex specific differences and compare our results with other European series. Materials and methodsA joint database of primary care medicine and the dermatology department was obtained from the entire province of Lleida with epidemiological data and psoriasis diagnosis and treatment codification. ResultsA corrected database was obtained with 398,701 individuals and 6,868 of them (1.72%) were coded with the diagnosis of psoriasis. The prevalence was significantly higher in men than in women (1.88% vs 1.56%, OR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.15-1.27). The highest prevalence of psoriasis was found in the 61-70 years group (2.90%) and psoriasis in population under 18 years of age was 0.30%. In our sample, 7.27% of the patients were classified as moderate-severe psoriasis (499/6,868). ConclusionThis study reports the prevalence and severity of psoriasis in a large Mediterranean region sample, obtaining the information through a electronic database. This study reveals a lower prevalence of psoriasis compared to other European countries, and the proportion of severe psoriasis (based on treatment criteria) is lower than in other studies. We emphasize that these differences could probably due to genetic background, life style and diet.

Características epidemiológicas de la psoriasis. Un estudio poblacional

Background and objectivesPsoriasis is a chronic immunoinflammatory skin disease very frequent in the western world. Several authors have tried to calculate its prevalence in different regions, although most of them obtained the data from surveys and there are few publications from Mediterranean areas.The objective of our study was to analyze the prevalence and severity of psoriasis in Lleida (a northeastern region in Spain), identify age and sex specific differences and compare our results with other European series. Materials and methodsA joint database of primary care medicine and the dermatology department was obtained from the entire province of Lleida with epidemiological data and psoriasis diagnosis and treatment codification. ResultsA corrected database was obtained with 398,701 individuals and 6,868 of them (1.72%) were coded with the diagnosis of psoriasis. The prevalence was significantly higher in men than in women (1.88% vs 1.56%, OR=1.21, 95% CI: 1.15-1.27). The highest prevalence of psoriasis was found in the 61-70 years group (2.90%) and psoriasis in population under 18 years of age was 0.30%. In our sample, 7.27% of the patients were classified as moderate-severe psoriasis (499/6,868). ConclusionThis study reports the prevalence and severity of psoriasis in a large Mediterranean region sample, obtaining the information through a electronic database. This study reveals a lower prevalence of psoriasis compared to other European countries, and the proportion of severe psoriasis (based on treatment criteria) is lower than in other studies. We emphasize that these differences could probably due to genetic background, life style and diet.

Glocalización y sus consecuencias: apuntes sobre los temporeros en la fruticultura leridana

Cada primavera-verano, en la campaña de la fruta en la zona sur de la provincia de Lleida, se lleva a cabo alrededor de 20.000 contrataciones relacionadas con la recogida del producto agrícola. Estas contrataciones de corta duración corresponden a trabajadores temporeros que, en su mayoría, provienen de otros puntos del estado y son de procedencia extranjera. El texto muestra los resultados de un trabajo de investigación que pretendía conocer los pormenores de organización y desarrollo de esta campaña frutícola. El trabajo de campo incluía: entrevistas a informantes claves; la realización de un cuestionario a 900 trabajadores temporeros que trabajaban en las tareas de recolección; un cuestionario a 150 empleadores de los mismos; además de análisis documental e información periodística. Se reflejan los perfiles de los diferentes agentes implicados y los discursos, las vicisitudes, aciertos e incertidumbres en torno a los que ésta se desarrolla.

Late Miocene vegetation and climate of the La Cerdanya Basin (eastern Pyrenees, Spain)

The Tortonian and early Messinian levels of the La Cerdanya intramontane basin (Province of Lleida, eastern Pyrenees, Catalonia, Spain) are here studied from a palaeoecological perspective. Based on the palynological and macrofloristic assemblages of the Sansor and Sanavastre Mines (Puigcerdà Sub-basin), and the surface outcrops of the Bellver Sub-basin, a mixed forest of broadleaved deciduous trees (e.g., Quercus hispanica, Fagus gussonii, Tilia vidali, Carpinus spp. and Acer spp.), conifers (e.g., Pinus palaeostrobus, Cryptomeria anglica, Abies saportana, Cathaya spp. and Picea spp.), some laurophyllous plants (e.g., Daphnogene polymorpha), and a few palaeotropical elements (e.g., members of Sapotaceae and Araliaceae) made up the forested landscapes of the La Cerdanya Basin during both periods. These landscapes were floristically similar to others of the Mediterranean late Miocene (e.g., those of the Likudi-Vegora complex of Greece and Italy). The importance of the mesohygrophilous elements and conifer taxa renders the La Cerdanya Basin of special interest in the Iberian late Miocene context. The coexistence approach (CA) method provided intervals for seven palaeoclimatic parameters for the Tortonian palynological and macrofloral datasets. The palaeoclimate was warm and humid, with marked seasonality and absence of dry season during the warmest period. Precipitations were similar than today but this palaeoclimate was warmer. Comparing the palaeoclimatic data for Tortonian and early Messinian levels from La Cerdanya Basin, only slight differences, mainly for temperature values, are observed. In general, the obtained palaeoclimatic values match well with those from the late Miocene of Central Europe.

Randomised intervention study to assess the prevalence of subclinical vascular disease and hidden kidney disease and its impact on morbidity and mortality: The ILERVAS project

Background and objectivesChronic kidney disease (CKD) and atherosclerosis are 2 interrelated diseases that increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The objectives of the ILERVAS project are: (1) to determine the prevalence of subclinical arterial disease and hidden kidney disease; (2) to assess the impact of early diagnosis of both diseases on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and also on the progression of CKD; (3) to have a platform of data and biological samples. MethodsRandomised intervention study. From 2015 to 2017, 19,800 people (9900 in the intervention group and 9900 in the control group) aged between 45 and 70 years without previous history of cardiovascular disease and with at least one cardiovascular risk factor will be randomly selected from the primary health care centres across the province of Lleida. A team of experts will travel around in a mobile unit to carry out the following baseline tests on the intervention group: Artery ultrasound, (carotid, femoral, transcranial and abdominal aorta), ankle-brachial index, spirometry, determination of advanced glycation end products, dried blood spot and urine spot tests. Additionally, blood and urine samples will be collected and stored in the biobank to identify new biomarkers using omics studies. Participants will be followed up until 2025 for identification of cardiovascular events, treatment changes and changes in lifestyle. ConclusionsThe ILERVAS project will reveal the prevalence of subclinical vascular disease and hidden kidney disease, determine whether or not their early diagnosis brings health benefits and will also allow investigation of new risk factors.

Fenòmens de contacte lingüístic en el lèxic disponible català de Lleida

This article aims to analyse the influence of Spanish on the lexicon available in Catalan. For this purpose, we examine to what extent the Catalan lexicon contains elements of Spanish and what value these units have within the data available. We have also classified language contact phenomena and we have specifically analysed the instances of loans in our corpus. In order to carry out this research, we have mainly focused on the data from the province of Lleida, obtained from 240 pre-college informants who filled out an associative survey regarding 17 centers of interest.

Risk of exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a primary care retrospective cohort study.

BackgroundThe risk of exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) depends on the severity of disease and other less well known factors. Predictive models of exacerbation are more accurate than the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). The objective was to design a model that predicts the risk of exacerbation in COPD.MethodsRetrospective cohort study with data from the electronic medical records of patients diagnosed with COPD in the province of Lleida (Spain). A total of 2501 patients were followed during 3 years. The dependent variable was acute exacerbation; independent variables were: clinical parameters, spirometry results, severity of disease, influenza and 23-valent pneumococcal immunisation, comorbidities, smoking and history of exacerbation. The association of these variables with disease exacerbation was measured by the adjusted odds ratio using a logistic regression model.ResultsMean age at the start of the study was 68.38 years (SD = 11.60) and 74.97 % patients were men; severity of disease was considered mild in 50.82 % of patients, moderate in 35.31 %, severe in 9.44 % and very severe in 4.44 %. During the three year study period up to 83.17 % of patients experienced at least one exacerbation. Predictive factors in the model were age, gender, previous exacerbations, influenza and 23-valent pneumococcal immunisations, number of previous visits to the General Practice and severity (GOLD), with an area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of 0.70.ConclusionsThis model can identify patients at high risk of acute exacerbation. Preventive measures and modification of treatment in these high-risk patients would improve survival.

First record of a self-sustaining population of Alpine charr <em>Salvelinus umbla</em> (Linnaeus, 1758) (Actinopterygii, Salmonidae) in Spain

This work reports for the first time in Spain the presence of the non-native salmonid Alpine charr, usually included into Salvelinus alpinus , but recently revised to Salvelinus umbla . The species was found in a high mountain lake in the Pyrenees belonging to the Garonne catchment (Lake Obago, Val d’Aran, province of Lleida). This is probably not a recent introduction since the presence of one species of Salvelinus in some lakes of the Val d’Aran has been known among anglers for a long time, but the species identification was lacking. The distribution of S. umbla in the Val d’Aran appear to be restricted to a very few lakes and it has not spread downstream.

La implantación del cuadro de mando integral en el sector agroalimentario: el caso del grupo alimentario guissona

<span>El Grupo Alimentario Guissona (ubicado en la provincia de Lleida en España), nació con una visión estratégica que le ha llevado a posicionarse con notable éxito en el mercado. Así mismo ha implementado diversas herramientas de gestión que le han permitido desarrollarse, adaptarse y crecer durante más de 50 años. El presente artículo plantea la implantación de un Cuadro de Mando Integral (CMI) para poder monitorear la referida estrategia. Se sugiere implementar esta herramienta concreta, ya que es la quinta herramienta de gestión más utilizada en el mundo según el estudio bianual que realiza Bain & Company (Rigby & Bilodeau, 2013). La propuesta de CMI contenida en el presente estudio incluye 27 indicadores, clasificados en las 4 perspectivas propuestas en el CMI.</span>

Importance of individual analysis of environmental and climatic factors affecting the density of Leishmania vectors living in the same geographical area: the example of Phlebotomus ariasi and P. perniciosus in northeast Spain.

The aim of the present study was to determine the role of specific environmental and climatic factors affecting the distribution and density of Phlebotomus ariasi and P. perniciosus , the proven vectors for Leishmania infantum in Spain. An entomological study was carried out in July 2006 in the province of Lleida with sticky traps set in their diurnal resting places at altitudes ranging from 86 to 1,755 m above the mean sea level (339 sites were sampled). Bivariate analysis revealed that factors such as altitude, bioclimatic zone, temperature, precipitation, sampling site (site relative to settlement, site situation, site category), wall vegetation, particular environment (in this case a natural park), general environment, adjacent natural vegetation and land cover were significantly associated with sand fly densities. The multivariate model for P. perniciosus revealed that its density was affected by site and land cover. Specifically, paved driveways correlated negatively with vector density (Incidence Risk Ratio (IRR): 0.41) and arable land cover correlated positively (IRR: 4.59). In the case of P. ariasi, a significant correlation was observed with the altitude and bioclimatic zone, with density increasing at >800 m above the mean sea level (IRR: 3.40) and decreasing in the meso-Mediterranean bioclimatic zone (IRR: 0.08). Both species were mostly found in agricultural and forest areas far from domestic environments. However, the two species correlated differently with altitude, bio-climate, vegetation, temperature and precipitation, which emphasises the importance of their individual analysis in studies regarding risk of leishmaniasis transmission.