Spearman's Coefficient Rho Research Articles

Comparación de la adhesión terapéutica según el Test de Adherencia a Inhaladores y el registro de la retirada en farmacia de los fármacos prescritos en pacientes asmáticos. Estudio REFARMA

IntroductionClinical guidelines recommend the combined use of “self-completed questionnaires such as the Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI)” and the pharmacy refill rate (PRR) to determine adherence, but evidence based on comparative studies to support these recommendations is limited. Our objective was to determine adherence to inhalers in asthmatic patients, using the TAI and the PRR, as well as the correlation and concordance between both methods. MethodsMulticentre cross-sectional study including the first 196 consecutive adult asthmatic patients, of whom 183 were on maintenance treatment with Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS). Nonadherence was defined as TAI <50 or PRR <80% in the previous 12 months. ResultsA statistically significant positive correlation was observed between TAI and PRR scores (Spearman's rho coefficient=0.185; p=0.012). Prevalence of nonadherence based on TAI was 73.22%; 95%CI (66.54-79.91) and 57.92%; 95%CI (50.50-65.35) based on PRR was. In terms of agreement, a Cohen's kappa index=0.174 and an overall % agreement of 61.7% were obtained. Twenty-two of the 49 patients who scored 50 on TAI (44.9%) refilled <80% of inhalers. In contrast, 48 of the 134 patients who scored ≤49 on TAI (35.8%) refilled ≥80% at the pharmacy. ConclusionsAdherence remains suboptimal with prevalences of nonadherent patients>50%. The concordance results supports, in line with guideline recommendations, that the use of both approaches (TAI and PRR) increases the ability to identify poor adherence compared to TAI or PRR alone.

Determination of Foetal Scalp Blood Sampling pH as an Indicator of Loss of Foetal Well-Being in Women Undergoing Caesarean Section

Asphyxia during birth is one of the three leading causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality among newborns carried to term. The objective of this study was to evaluate the measurement of the foetal scalp blood pH as a measure of foetal status, evaluating: cord gases, meconium-stained fluid, APGAR score or the need for neonatal resuscitation in pregnant women undergoing caesarean sections. A cross-sectional study was carried out over a period of 5 years (2017-2021) at the Hospital de Poniente (southern Spain). A total of 127 pregnant women participated from whom a foetal scalp blood pH sample was taken and used to indicate the need for an urgent caesarean section. The results showed a correlation between the pH of the scalp blood and the pH of the umbilical cord artery, umbilical cord vein (Rho of Spearman arterial pH: 0.64, p < 0.001; Rho of Spearman venous pH: 0.58, p < 0.001) and the APGAR test one minute after delivery (Spearman's Rho coefficient of 0.33, p < 0.01). These results suggest that the foetal scalp pH should not be considered a foolproof method to indicate an urgent caesarean section. Foetal scalp pH sampling can be used as a complementary test, in conjunction with cardiotocography, to indicate whether an emergency caesarean section is necessary due to loss of foetal well-being.

TEACHER COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOR AND CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AS PEDAGOGICAL FACTORS TO THE CULINARY COMPETENCE OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

This study determined which domain, the teacher communication behavior, and the classroom environment, best influences the culinary competence of senior high school students for the year 2020 to 2021 in five (5) selected public secondary schools in the Province of Davao Occidental, Region XI, Philippines using a non-experimental quantitative descriptive-correlational research design. In analysing the data, weighted mean, standard deviation, Pearson r, and Spearman Rho coefficient were utilized. Findings show the levels of teacher communication behavior (TCB), classroom environment (CE) and culinary competence (CC) are “High”, and a significant relationship between TCB and CC, between CE and CC existed. None of the indicators would best influence culinary competence. It suggested that a conducive learning and working environment may have a significant relationship with the acquisition, development, and improvement of culinary competence but teachers will not have to make up for poor-quality materials with wrong or out-of-date information or methods that do not work.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0095/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The influence of technology on the academic performance of students at the “Uruguay” fiscal educational unit for the 2021-2022 school year

The objective of this research is to analyze the influence of technology on the academic performance of the students of the "Uruguay" Fiscal Educational Unit for the 2021-2022 school year. The methodology that was used is of a qualitative-quantitative type, with a descriptive design, it is field, correlational, and non-experimental. The population is made up of 1,200 students from the "Uruguay" Fiscal Educational Unit, obtaining a sample of 291 students to be surveyed. With the SPSS® statistical program and Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, a reliability of 0.824 was obtained; In addition, with the results obtained from Spearman's Rho coefficient of 0.778 in the general hypothesis, it is verified that students are clear that technology currently has a positive impact on the educational environment, since it improves educational effectiveness and didactic methods, contributing to the teaching-learning process and strengthening academic performance.

Objective structured clinical examination versus traditional written examinations: a prospective observational study

BackgroundRecently, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) became an official evaluation modality for 6-year medical students in France. Before, standard examination modalities were: written progressive clinical cases (PCC), written critical reading of scientific articles (CRA), and internship evaluation (IE). The aim of this study was to assess the performances of 6-year medical students in their final faculty tests by comparing OSCE-exams with standard examination modalities.MethodsThis was a prospective observational study. We included all 6-year medical students in our university from 2020 to 2021. The endpoints were the scores obtained at the following final faculty tests during the 6th year of medical studies: OSCE-training, OSCE-exams, written PCC, written CRA, and IE. All scores were compared in a paired-analysis.ResultsA total of 400 students were included in the study. No student was excluded in the final analysis. The mean scores obtained at the OSCE-exams were significantly different from those obtained at OSCE-training, PCC, CRA, and IE (12.6 ± 1.7, 11.7 ± 1.7, 13.4 ± 1.4, 13.2 ± 1.5, 14.7 ± 0.9, respectively; p < 0.001). OSCE-exams scores were moderately and significantly correlated with OSCE-training and PCC (Spearman rho coefficient = 0.4, p < 0.001); OSCE examination scores were lowly but significantly correlated with CRA and IE (Spearman rho coefficient = 0.3, p < 0.001). OSCE-scores significantly increased after an OSCE training session.ConclusionIn our faculty, 6-year medical students obtained lower scores at OSCE exams compared to other standard evaluation modalities. The correlation was weak to moderate but significant. These results suggest that OSCE are not redundant with the other evaluation modalities. Interestingly, a single OSCE training session led to an improvement in OSCE scores underlining the importance of a specific training.

Explanatory model for the Control of the risk of obesity in Mexican adolescents

Objective: estimate the explanatory value of the Obesity Risk Control model in adolescents with normal weight and overweight, guided by the Health Promotion Model.Methods: descriptive, cross-sectional, analytical study. The sample was calculated for a simple linear regression model that included age, sex, body mass index, personality traits, economic level, appetite traits, emotional eating, social support through social networks, family social support, self-regulation and locus of control. Spearman's Rho coefficient (p&lt;0,05) and linear regression (p&lt;0,001) were used.Results: 518 adolescents participated. The average age was 16,8 years (SD 0,9). 55,8 % were women. The average body mass index was 23,1 kg/m2 (SD 2,7). 61,9 % of female and 59,0 % of male adolescents were of normal weight. Physical activity was poor in 74,3 % and regular eating habits in 54,6 %. The model was made up of seven explanatory variables that were: sex, personality traits of kindness, responsibility, squeamish attitude, self-regulation in physical activity and eating habits, as well as internal locus of control, which explained 27 %, Conclusions: the Obesity Risk Control model was made up of seven variables that explained 27 % of the behavior, preserving the Health Promotion Model constructs. It is important to conduct research that incorporates commitment to an action plan and immediate competition preferences, as these are constructs that take precedence over health-promoting behavior and that, if present, favor or impact behavior

A Neutrosophic approach to Youth University Entrepreneurship in Peru, Based on the Indeterminate Likert Scale

This paper aims to determine the level of potential and effective capacity of university youth entrepreneurship in Peru, analyzed from the indicators of social skills, attitude towards opportunities, cognitive skills, positive self-assessment and continuity, and finally coping skills. The research was carried out in four public and private universities in the country (National Autonomous University of Huanta, National University San Cristóbal de Huamanga, Universidad Peruana los Andes, and Universidad Continental), and the sample was 120 students, 30 from each university. A survey of 50 questions was used, 25 of each dimension, the instrument was validated by expert judgment, with a very good applicability opinion. The authors of the article decided to replace the traditional Likert scale with an Indeterminate Likert Scale since in this way the opinion of the respondents is more accurately taken into account. The Indeterminate Likert Scale allows the respondent to give a degree of opinion in every one of the possible answers, instead of selecting a single answer. In this way, the respondent can more reliably express their feelings and thoughts that may contain contradictions. The survey was supported by a graph that allowed the respondents to make the evaluations without the need to delve into the neutrosophic theory. The survey data were statistically processed to carry out the study with the help of Spearman's rho coefficient.

Instrument to evaluate teaching performance in class management (IEDDCC)

The objective of this work was to expose and validate the psychometric properties of a suitable instrument to evaluate teaching performance in classroom management (IEDDCC); the study was considered instrumental and a purposive sample of 108 academic figures in basic education was used for data collection. The results of the measurement of the psychometric properties of the instrument indicated a Cronbach's alpha reliability of 0.964 and, in the construct validity carried out through the "total domain" correlation test, a value of Spearman's Rho coefficient of 0.978 was obtained, values considered to be quite acceptable. With respect to the confirmatory validity test carried out through the linear regression test, information was also obtained that supports these results; among them, the fact that the independent variable explains 95.8% of the behavior of the dependent variable was highlighted. Finally, in measuring the level of teaching performance, the 108 teachers evaluated indicated that the IEDDCC objectively measures the construct for which it was designed.

Dendrochemical Challenge in Climate Science: Whether Chemical Elements in Wood Reflect the Fluctuations in Weather Parameters.

The aim of this study was to find consistent correlations between weather parameters and elemental content of tree rings in four widely distributed Siberian conifers: Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.), and Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour). Slices from the wood cores were subjected to chemical treatment by extraction in alcohol and HCl. The slices were scanned using an Itrax Multiscanner (COX Analytical Systems) to obtain the count rates of Al, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Sr. Every slice was scanned three times, in the original form, after alcohol extraction, and after HCl treatment. Altogether, 21 weather parameters were used to search for consistent correlations between the elemental contents. Weather parameters as well as elemental contents were averaged for successive triplets of calendar years. The statistical treatment of the data included the calculations of non-parametrical Spearman rho and Kendall tau coefficients. We defined consistent correlation as a correlation that is stronger than +/-0.3, observed in all the trees studied, and is significant at least in one tree. The main result of the study is that no consistent correlation was found that we could observe in all the species involved in the study. Nevertheless, there are several consistent correlations within the species. This means that the right choice of species for a dendrochemical study is of paramount importance. In some species, e.g., the larch and spruce, we found no correlations unless the chemical treatment was applied. Thus, a chemical treatment may reveal the reactions of tree rings' elemental content to some weather parameters.

Democratic leadership and administrative management in a private university in northern Lima

The purpose was to determine how democratic leadership in the General Directorate of Administration is related to the administrative management given by the immediate heads of said area. This research took place in an educational entity located in northern Lima. For this reason, the present investigation processed the information by quantifying, without any manipulation of the study variables, seeking to describe the phenomenon in the entity that provides services dedicated to education. The population was 250 workers of an educational institution and for the uses of the sample 68 collaborators. Thus, a questionnaire was also used, which was classified as highly reliable. Thus, Microsoft Excel and SPSS were also used to analyze and obtain the study information. Regarding what was found, what was shown in the variables was peremptory, so a direct relationship between them was appreciated, since in the rigor of the analysis a Spearman's Rho (coefficient) of .284 was obtained. Consequently, the conclusion of the study proposes that among the variables studied of the General Directorate of Administration in the entity they are directly proportional.

Liderazgo gerencial y trabajo en equipo de los colaboradores de la Municipalidad Distrital de Guadalupito

The purpose of this research work was to determine the relationship between managerial leadership and teamwork of the collaborators of the District Municipality of Guadalupito, 2022. The methodology used in terms of its approach was quantitative, accordingto its purpose, applied and according to its scope, correlational-descriptive, with a non-experimental and cross-sectional design, which included as study population the collaborators of the District Municipality of Guadalupito, whose study sample consisted of 67 of them, to whom the survey and/or questionnaire with 22 items based on the Likert scale was applied as a technique and instrument for data collection. For the validity of the instrument, the judgement of experts in the subject was used, based on Cronbach's Alpha coefficient. Finally, in the results obtained using the SPSS v25 programme, Spearman's Rho coefficient determined a high level of significance (0.005&lt;0.01) and an average positive correlation (r= 0.338**) between the variables studied. Theresearch concludes by accepting the hypothesis put forward, which confirms the relationship between the two variables.

232. Inhibition of neurogenic inflammatory pathways associated with reduction in discogenic back pain

<h3>BACKGROUND CONTEXT</h3> Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide found in abundance at the interface between blood vessels and sensory nerve fibers, upregulates pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, brain derived neurotrophic factor, and nerve growth factor in spinal spondylotic disease resulting in disc degeneration and sensitization of nociceptive neurons. While the new class of anti-CGRP medications have proven ability to quell neurogenic inflammation in migraines, their off-site efficacy as a therapeutic target for discogenic back/neck pain conditions remains unknown. <h3>PURPOSE</h3> Utilizing a patient population with comorbid degenerative spinal disease and migraines, this study aims to determine if initiation of anti-CGRP biologic treatment for migraines was also associated with improvements in back/neck pain, mobility, and function. <h3>STUDY DESIGN/SETTING</h3> Retrospective case series. <h3>PATIENT SAMPLE</h3> All patients over age 18 with concomitant spinal spondylosis and migraine diagnoses treated with anti-CGRP medications at a single academic institution between 2017-2020 were retrospectively identified. Patients with history of spinal surgery, malignancy, cervicogenic headache, new narcotic prescriptions or inconsistent anti-CGRP use were excluded. <h3>OUTCOME MEASURES</h3> Clinical spine outcomes before and after anti-CGRP medication initiation including pain, mobility and functional status. <h3>METHODS</h3> Patient demographic (age, sex, race, smoking status, BMI) and medical (CCI, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia) data, follow-up duration, migraine severity and frequency, spine pain, functional status, and mobility before and after anti-CGRP medication initiation were collected. Paired univariate analysis tested for significant changes in spine pain, headache severity, and headache frequency before and after beginning anti-CGRP. Correlation between changes in spine pain score and functional or mobility improvement were assessed with the Spearman's rho coefficient. <h3>RESULTS</h3> A total of 56 patients were included. The mean follow-up time after anti-CGRP initiation was 123 days for spine visits and 129 days for migraine visits. Back/neck pain decreased significantly (p<0.001) from 6.30 to 4.36 after starting anti-CGRP medication for migraine control. As recorded in the spine follow-up notes, 25% of patients experienced functional improvement in ADLs and 17.5% of patients experienced mobility improvement while taking anti-CGRP medication. Change in back/neck pain demonstrated a moderate correlation (ρ= -0.430) with functional improvement but no correlation with mobility improvement (ρ= -0.052). <h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3> Patients receiving anti-CGRP treatment for chronic migraines with comorbid degenerative spine conditions experienced significant off-target back/neck pain reduction. Future interventional studies are necessary to explore the effectiveness of this novel medication class in all patients with discogenic back/neck pain that is recalcitrant to standard nonoperative therapies. <h3>FDA DEVICE/DRUG STATUS</h3> This abstract does not discuss or include any applicable devices or drugs.

Association of biomarkers and severity of COVID-19: A crosssectional study.

Introduction COVID- 19 is a disease that has claimed the lives of many people. However, alterations in labo-ratory profiles in the city of Tacna have not been accurately established in association with its severity to support diagnosis and treatment. Objective To determine biomarkers related to the severity of COVID- 19 in patients treated at the social security hospital in Tacna during 2020. Methods We performed an observational, cross- sectional, and analytical study that included 308 patients with COVID- 19 from the social security hospital in Tacna, Peru, during the "first wave" of the pandemic (from July to August 2020). Immunological, hematological, arterial gas, hemostasis, and biochemical markers were collected. Patients were categorized into mild, moderate, and severe based on the clinical criteria found on clinical records. Correlation strength was per-formed according to Spearman's Rho coefficient. The performance of the biomarkers associat-ed with severity was analyzed with the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve. Results Regarding hematological markers there was a positive correlation with monocyte count (correla-tion coefficient: 0.841; area under the curve 97.0%; p < 0.05) and a negative correlation with lymphocyte count (correlation coefficient: -0.622; area under the curve 82.7%; p < 0.05). Regarding biochemical markers, arterial gases and hemostasis, no significant correlations were found. In immunological markers, we found positive correlation with ferritin (correlation coef-ficient: 0.805; area under the curve 94.0%; p < 0.05), and C- reactive protein (correlation coeffi-cient: 0.587; area under the curve 87.4%; p < 0.05). Conclusions The biomarkers that can be considered as parameters associated with the severity of COVID- 19 are the absolute blood count of monocytes and serum ferritin concentration.

Human thumb consists of three phalanges and lacks metacarpal? A morphometric study on the long bones of the hand.

For many years, it was thought that the thumb consists of just two phalanges that differentiate it from the other four medial triphalangeal fingers. But there are some old reports that few former scientists believed the thumb has three phalanges and it lacked a metacarpal, and the thumb metacarpal is a phalanx. So this anthropometric study was carried out by investigating the morphology of the long bones of the hand and correlations between the thumb metacarpal and other miniature long bones of the hand. We studied anterior-posterior X-ray images of the right hands of 80 individuals from 18 to 65years old. The exploration targets were the length of all metacarpals (MC), proximal phalanges (PP), middle phalanges (MP), and distal phalanges (DP). Friedman Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance and Dunn's post hoc test were carried out to compare the means of all variables. The correlation between all quantitative factors was done by Spearman Rank Correlation (Spearman's Rho) coefficient. Our results showed that the length of the phalanges and the total length of the fingers are independent of the related metacarpal length (P < 0.001). Also, the thumb metacarpal length in comparison to all bones of the hand was significantly different from all long bones of the hand except the proximal phalanx of the middle finger (P = 1). Based on the morphology of the long bones of the hand and the high similarity between the thumb metacarpal and phalanges especially the proximal phalanx of the middle finger, it can be suggested that the current thumb metacarpal is a proximal phalanx of the thumb.

Psychometric Indicators of the Pro-environmental Attitudes' Questionnaire: Colombian Version.

The detrimental effect of human behavior on the environment is undeniable. Attitudes are recognized as a predictor of the pro-environmental behavior; therefore, having good quality tools in Colombia to measure them is strategic to assess interventions. This study aims to establish psychometric indicators for the pro-environmental attitudes questionnaire (PEAQ) Colombian version to a sample of 415 volunteers (53% women and 47% men) aged 18–70 years (M = 40.28; SD = 14.06). We used the 28-item PEAQ already linguistically adapted for Colombia. We applied the following questionnaires: Environmental awareness (EA) (11 items), environmental values (EV) (4 items), and the pro-environmental at work questionnaire (PEWQ) (31 items). We used a one-parameter Rasch model and Winsteps program to assess the PEAQ's one-dimensionality and item statistics by gender, and estimated Spearman's rho coefficient between the PEAQ scores and the scales for concurrent validity. The PEAQ in this study has 24 items because 4 items did not fit into the Rasch model criteria. Its one-dimensionality was supported by an explained variance (43%) and the first residual variance (12%). The coefficients, α = 0.95 and Ω = 0.95; Rasch for persons = 0.90; and Rasch for items = 0.95. The correlation between the PEAQ and the EC, EV, and PEWQ scales were Spearman's rho coefficient = 0.859 (p ≤ 0.001), 0.795 (p ≤ 0.001), and 0.885 (p ≤ 0.001), respectively. Thus, the PEAQ Colombian version's psychometric indicators support it as a valid and reliable instrument to measure pro-environmental attitudes in this country.

Validation of the Italian version of the spirituality and spiritual care rating scale (SSCRS-ita).

To translate and validate the Italian version of the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale (SSCRS-ita). A single-center cross-sectional study was performed from October 15 to November 15, 2019 in a public hospital in Milan, Italy. The scale was drafted using the back-translation method. Prior to administration, the Italian version of the scale was assessed for content validity and retest stability by calculating the content validity index. Internal consistency was investigated by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient, test-retest stability by Spearman's rho coefficient. A total n = 337 nurses participated in the survey by correctly completing the scale. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test (0.81) and Bartlett's test of sphericity (p< 0.001) confirmed the adequacy of the sample to conduct exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The factorial model of EFA without rotation and then with nonorthogonal Promax rotation confirmed the presence of the four constructs identified by the original author. SSCRS-ita showed promising psychometric properties in terms of validity and reliability. The results of this study, together with the lack of in-depth studies in the Italian health and educational panorama, suggest the need to develop an educational pathway which, starting from the curricula of basic training and continuing with the updating of nursing staff, is dedicated to the detection of the spiritual needs of the patient. The SSCRS-ita is the first validated Italian tool concerning the consideration of the needs of spirituality and spiritual care in healthcare contexts; the possibility to use this tool is the first step towards a better integration of the mentioned dimensions of care in a nursing care qualitative perspective in Italy.

EFL University Students’ Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy and Its Correlation with Their Reading Comprehension

Metacognitive awareness of reading strategy has a tremendous impact on the educational process, especially in acquiring a second language. It is concerned with not only what they suggest about how students organize their interactions with the context, but also with how they might employ the strategies that are still relevant to reading comprehension effectiveness. However, the EFL learners are still having a lack using metacognitive awareness of reading strategies significantly because of unknowing and inadequate understanding of what reading strategies to use, how and when to use them appropriately. Hence, the present study is attempted to locate the relationship between EFL learners’ metacognitive awareness of reading strategy and reading comprehension. A quantitative study, with 60 EFL students as participants, was conducted by using a questionnaire, and reading comprehension score to discover the level of EFL students’ Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy. Those are the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Inventory - revised (MARSI-R) and the Test English Proficiency (TEP) to discover the level of EFL students’ metacognitive awareness. The result of this study showed that 49 participants (mean 3.5 – &gt;3.5), categorized as high group levels, and 11 participants (mean 2.5 – 3.4), categorized as moderate group levels. This research also revealed that the most strategies used by EFL learners found using PRS (Problem-solving strategies) M = 3.99; GRS (Global reading strategies) M = 3.98; and, SRS (Support reading strategies) M = 3.65. For the result of the Spearman Rho Coefficient showed that there is no correlation between EFL learners’ metacognitive awareness of reading strategy and reading comprehension (ρ value = .986).

Protein and functional isoform levels and genetic variants of the BAFF and APRIL pathway components in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototype of an autoimmune disease. Belimumab, a monoclonal antibody targets BAFF, is the only biologic approved for SLE and active lupus nephritis. BAFF is a cytokine with a key-regulatory role in the B cell homeostasis, which acts by binding to three receptors: BAFF-R, TACI and BCMA. TACI and BCMA also bind APRIL. Many studies reported elevated soluble BAFF and APRIL levels in the sera of SLE patients, but other questions about the role of this system in the disease remain open. The study aimed to investigate the utility of the cytokine levels in serum and urine as biomarkers, the role of non-functional isoforms, and the association of gene variants with the disease. This case–control study includes a cohort (women, 18–60 years old) of 100 patients (48% with nephritis) and 100 healthy controls. We used ELISA assays to measure the cytokine concentrations in serum (sBAFF and sAPRIL) and urine (uBAFF and uAPRIL); TaqMan Gene Expression Assays to quantify the relative mRNA expression of ΔBAFF, βAPRIL, and εAPRIL, and next-generation sequencing to genotype the cytokine (TNFSF13 and TNFSF13B) and receptor (TNFRSF13B, TNFRSF17 and TNFRSF13C) genes. The statistical tests used were: Kruskal–Wallis (qualitative variables), the Spearman Rho coefficient (correlations), the Chi-square and SKAT (association of common and rare genetic variants, respectively). As expected, sBAFF and sAPRIL levels were higher in patients than in controls (p ≤ 0.001) but found differences between patient subgroups. sBAFF and sAPRIL significantly correlated only in patients with nephritis (rs = 0.67, p ≤ 0.001) and βAPRIL levels were lower in patients with nephritis (p = 0.04), and ΔBAFF levels were lower in patients with dsDNA antibodies (p = 0.04). Rare variants of TNFSF13 and TNFRSF13B and TNFSF13 p.Gly67Arg and TNFRSF13B p.Val220Ala were associated with SLE. Our study supports differences among SLE patient subgroups with diverse clinical features in the BAFF/APRIL pathway. In addition, it suggests the involvement of genetic variants in the susceptibility to the disease.

Performance of UMELISA SARS-CoV-2 antigen and STANDARD F COVID-19 in the diagnosis of COVID-19 in Villa Clara, Cuba

A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out with the objective of describing the performance of UMELISA SARS-CoV-2 Antigen and STANDARD F COVID-19 Ag FIA in the diagnosis of COVID-19, at the Provincial Laboratory of Microbiology and Sanitary Chemistry of Villa Clara, during the month of February 2022. 1056 patients who underwent Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) using the QIAcube HT genome extraction technique, UMELISA SARS-CoV-2 Antigen and STANDARD F COVID-19 Ag FIA were included. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value were calculated as efficacy indicators and Spearman's Rho coefficient for the correlation between variables. The result was that 29.3% were sick, of which 189 were female, with a median age of 46 years. 74.8% had symptoms, most often fever, cough and runny nose. UMELISA SARS-CoV-2 Antigen showed higher specificity with 97.45%; while STANDARD F COVID-19 Ag FIA had higher sensitivity with 99.35%. It was shown that there is a significant inverse correlation between the RT-PCR cycle threshold and the fluorescence values ​​of both techniques studied (p=0.000). About a third of the patients studied were sick with symptoms, with a predominance of females. UMELISA SARS-CoV-2 Antigen turned out to be more useful in confirming the presence of the disease, while STANDARD F COVID-19 Ag FIA showed better performance in ruling out the presence of the disease.

Validationof the Spanish version of the Sunnybrook facial grading system.

The Sunnybrook facial grading system (SFGS) is one of the most widely employed tools to assess facial function. The present study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Spanish language version of the SFGS. Forward-backward translation from the original English version was performed by fluent speakers of English and Spanish. Videos from 65 patients with facial paralysis (FP) were evaluated twice by five otolaryngologists with experience in FP evaluation. Internal consistency and intra- and inter-rater reliability were assessed. The House-Brackmann scale was used to display concurrent validity which was established by Spearman's rho correlation. The Cronbach's α score exceeded 0.70. The intra-rater intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was nearly perfect for the composite score (0.96-0.99), voluntary movements (0.97-0.99), and synkinesis (0.91-0.98), and important to almost perfect for symmetry at rest (0.79-0.97). In both evaluations, the inter-rater ICC was higher than 0.90 for the composite score (0.92-0.96) and voluntary movements (0.91-0.96) and slightly lower for symmetry at rest (0.66-0.85) and synkinesis (0.72-0.87). A strong negative correlation was found between the H-B scale and SFGS (Spearman's rho coefficient = -0.92, p < 0.001) in both evaluations. The Spanish version of the SFGS is a reliable and valuable instrument for the assessment of facial function in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with FP.