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Purpose To present an overview of the existing evidence on prognostic factors of (recurrent) sickness absence (SA) and return to work (RTW) among workers with a common mental disorder (CMD). This scoping review provides information about determinants for SA and RTW, which could be used to develop better interventions aimed at the prevention of SA and promotion of RTW among workers with a CMD. Methods Relevant articles were identified in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, and SINGLE up to October 2016. In order to be included, studies should provide insight into prognostic factors of SA or RTW of workers with a CMD. We classified all factors according to the domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Results Our searches identified 2447 possible relevant articles, of which 71 were included for data extraction. There is consistent evidence in ≥3 studies that previous episodes of CMD, higher symptom severity, previous absenteeism, co-morbidity, high job demands, low job control, high job strain, female gender, lower educational level, smoking behavior, and low perceived general health are predictors of SA in people with CMDs. Earlier RTW is consistently predicted by lower symptom severity, having no previous absenteeism, younger age, and positive expectations concerning sick-leave duration or RTW. Conclusions The amount of research on determinants for SA and RTW in workers with CMD has increased dramatically in recent years, although most studies are from the Netherlands and Scandinavia. There are some research gaps identified in this scoping review that need further attention in primary and secondary studies. Based on the summary of the evidence, we provide guidance for policy, practice and research.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the impact of adolescent pregnancy on families and describe the needs of adolescent mothers and their infants in order to assess the need for intervention and identify potential intervention targets. Adolescent mothers and their offspring face an increased risk of mental health problems. Adolescent mothers and their families also face significant resource constraints; 95% live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Cost-effective interventions are needed to improve outcomes for this vulnerable group. This qualitative study conducted in Lima, Peru, consisted of four clinician focus groups and 18 in-depth interviews with adolescent mothers and their family members. Data were coded thematically, and direct content analysis was employed. The study identified the following issues facing adolescent parents: the transition to parenthood, the need for family support, difficulty accessing support, the difficulty for family members of providing support, and ideas about responsibility and adolescent autonomy. Overall, these findings demonstrate the need for interventions that engage families and address barriers to accessing support, including relationship conflict and differing beliefs about responsibility and autonomy. Interventions are needed for adolescent mothers in LMICs that mobilize family support. Clinicians who care for these patients need to be aware of the family context and the resources available where they practice.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a family of natural biopolyesters, are widely used in many applications, especially in biomedicine. Since they are produced by a variety of microorganisms, they possess special properties that synthetic polyesters do not have. Their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity are the crucial properties that make these biologically produced thermoplastics and elastomers suitable for their applications as biomaterials. Bacterial or archaeal fermentation by the combination of different carbohydrates or by the addition of specific inductors allows the bioproduction of a great variety of members from the PHAs family with diverse material properties. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and its copolymers, such as poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHVB) or poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB4HB), are the most frequently used PHAs in the field of biomedicine. PHAs have been used in implantology as sutures and valves, in tissue engineering as bone graft substitutes, cartilage, stents for nerve repair, and cardiovascular patches. Due to their good biodegradability in the body and their breakdown products being unhazardous, they have also been remarkably applied as drug carriers for delivery systems. As lately there has been considerable and growing interest in the use of PHAs as biomaterials and their application in the field of medicine, this review provides an insight into the most recent scientific studies and advances in PHAs exploitation in biomedicine.

Cronobacter is a bacterial genus that includes seven species, and the species Cronobacter sakazakii is most related to meningitis and septicemia in infants associated with powdered infant formula (PIF). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the presence of C. sakazakii and to determine the microbiological quality of PIF for infant consumption. To do this, a total of 128 PIF samples were analyzed in four brands and countries (Chile, Mexico, Holland, and Brazil), considering three types of PIF: premature (PIF1), infant (PIF2), and follow-up (PIF3). Aerobic plate counts (APC) and Enterobacteriaceae (ENT) were assessed in accordance with Chilean official standards. The outer membrane protein A (ompA) gene was amplified to detect Cronobacter spp. and the fusA gene was amplified to identify C. sakazakii by using the PubMLST Web site and BLAST (NCBI). The antibiotic resistance profile was performed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute standards. The pathogen was quantified by the most probable number (MPN). The results showed that APC median values for PIF1, PIF2, and PIF3 were 3.2, 4.9, and 4.8 log CFU g-1, respectively. The APC were higher in PIF2 (P < 0.01) from Holland (P < 0.01) in the commercial brand 4 (P < 0.01). The ENT median values in PIF1, PIF2, and PIF3 were 1.8, 1.5, and 1.7 log CFU g-1, respectively. Five strains of C. sakazakii and one strain of Cronobacter malonaticus were identified as having values between 0.023 and 2.3 MPN/g. All strains (100%) harbored the ompA, plasminogen activator (cpa), and hemolysin (hly) virulence genes. To conclude, C. sakazakii was found in four PIF samples from four Chilean products and one from Mexico, which is distributed throughout America. C. sakazakii strains exhibit virulence factors and resistance to ampicillin, thus posing a risk when PIFs are consumed by infants.

To improve our understanding of the influence of tropical cyclones (TCs) on coastal flooding, the relationships between storm surge and TC characteristics are analyzed for 12 sites along the east coast of the United States. This analysis offers a unique perspective by first examining the relationship between the characteristics of TCs and their resulting storm surge and then determining the probabilities of storm surge associated with TCs based on exceeding certain TC characteristic thresholds. Using observational data, the statistical dependencies of storm surge on TCs are examined for these characteristics: TC proximity, intensity, path angle, and propagation speed, by applying both exponential and linear fits to the data. At each tide gauge along the east coast of the United States, storm surge is influenced differently by these TC characteristics, with some locations more strongly influenced by TC intensity and others by TC proximity. The correlation for individual and combined TC characteristics increases when conditional sorting is applied to isolate strong TCs close to a location. The probabilities of TCs generating surge exceeding specific return levels (RLs) are then analyzed for TCs passing within 500 km of a tide gauge, where between 6 % and 28 % of TCs were found to cause surge exceeding the 1-year RL. If only the closest and strongest TCs are considered, the percentage of TCs that generate surge exceeding the 1-year RL is between 30 % and 70 % at sites north of Sewell's Point, VA, and over 65 % at almost all sites south of Charleston, SC. When examining storm surge produced by TCs, single-variable regression provides a good fit, while multi-variable regression improves the fit, particularly when focusing on TC proximity and intensity, which are, probabilistically, the two most influential TC characteristics on storm surge.

Current body mass index (BMI) cutoff points (≥ 30 kg/m 2 ) underestimate obesity prevalence in older adults. The aim of the present study was to propose new BMI cutoff points for identifying obesity in older Hispanic adults. In this study, new internally derived (ID) BMI cutoff point for obesity in older Hispanic adults was developed by analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey of 2018–2019 from Mexico. To evaluate the performance/validation of this newly proposed cutoff point, data from the \"Study of the 1000\", conducted in Northern Mexico, was utilized. Sensitivity, and negative predictive value (NPV) were assessed using receiver operating characteristic analysis, with obesity defined by fat mass index (FMI; ≥ 9.0 kg/m 2 for men and ≥ 12.0 kg/m 2 for women) as the reference method. The newly proposed ID BMI cutoff point was ≥ 27.2 kg/m 2 which demonstrated high sensitivity (≥ 99.4%) and NPV (≥ 99.5%) in the total sample. Furthermore, the prevalence of obesity estimated by the new BMI cutoff point was comparable to that estimated by the FMI. The newly proposed BMI cutoff point provides a more accurate identification of obesity in older Hispanic adults. These findings have implications for improving obesity diagnosis and management in this population.

Introduction Babies with Down syndrome (DS) present physical characteristics that can make breastfeeding difficult, including hypotonia of the muscles of the oral cavity and pharynx which can create problems with sucking and swallowing. Breastfeeding has proven beneficial for babies, and it is recommended to be exclusive for the first 6 months. However, babies born with DS have a higher probability of not being breastfed. Objective Describe the frequency and characteristics of breastfeeding in children with DS at the National Institute of Pediatrics, Mexico City. Results The mothers reported that 98% of their babies had received mother’s milk at least once and that 64% had received infant formula in the first three days of life. The median duration of breastfeeding was three months; 32.4% of the babies were exclusively breastfed for 6 months. Risk factors for not being breastfed were problems with sucking, swallowing, and not providing feeding on demand, as well as improper technique. Conclusions Only 32% of babies were exclusively breastfed, for various reasons.

Adverse childhood experiences have a lasting impact on health across the life course. The perinatal period offers a unique opportunity to rework problematic dynamics in families experiencing intergenerational trauma. This study explores the family dynamics that are activated during the perinatal period and considers the potential for intervention with adolescent parents and their families in Lima, Peru. This narrative analysis was part of a broader study that included focus groups and in-depth interviews. Of the ten adolescent mothers interviewed, four narratives were selected for presentation in this manuscript. These particular narratives were selected to illustrate the diversity of the experiences among this group and for the exceptional level of detail provided about their life experiences and family relationships. Narrative excerpts were analyzed in the context of the entire interview and the aggregate content of other interviews in order to explore both explicit and implicit meanings. This study identified critical relational shifts among adolescent parents and their families during the perinatal period. In one instance, adolescent parenthood created an opportunity for the family to come together. In the other cases, conflict escalated, relations grew distant, or both. These narrative data demonstrate that intergenerational trauma can interfere with family relationships in the context of adolescent pregnancy and prevent adolescent parents from accessing needed support from their families. Intervention with families could address the impact of trauma and improve communication and collaboration.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has shown significant success in treating diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The initial step involves collecting autologous CD3 + lymphocytes through apheresis, in which obtaining an adequate CD3 + cell yield is essential for therapeutic efficacy. Despite prior research, the factors influencing CD3 + cell apheresis remain poorly understood. Traditional statistical analyses offer limited insights, but machine learning (ML) approaches enable precision modeling of clinical predictors owing to their advanced pattern-recognition capabilities. In this study, we employed three ML algorithms, random forest classifier (RF), logistic regression (LR), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) to analyze a homogeneous cohort of 98 DLBCL patients who underwent mononuclear cell (MNC) apheresis. The LR model, which achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.824, identified four key predictive features: CD3 + cell absolute count, NK cell percentage, total blood volume, and CD3 + cell percentage. Among these, NK cell percentage and CD3 + cell absolute count showed the most significant negative impact on CD3 + cell apheresis yield. This study underscores the potential of ML approaches as a complementary analytical approach for identifying key factors that impact CD3 + cell apheresis efficiency, offering valuable insights for optimizing CAR-T therapy outcomes in patients with DLBCL.

Background Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal in Canada introduced accompanying patients (APs) into the breast cancer care trajectory. APs are patients who have been treated for breast cancer and have been integrated into the clinical team to expand the services offered to people affected by cancer. This study describes the profiles of the people who received the support and explores whether one-offs vs ongoing encounters with APs influence their experience of care, on self-efficacy in coping with cancer, and on their level of psychological distress. Methods An exploratory cross-sectional study was carried out among patients to compare patients who had one encounter with an AP (G1) with those who had had several encounters (G2). Five questionnaires were administered on socio-demographic characteristics, care pathway, evaluation of the support experience, self-efficacy in coping with cancer, and level of psychological distress. Logbooks, completed by the APs, determined the number of encounters. Linear regression models were used to evaluate the associations between the number of encounters, patient characteristics, care pathway, number of topics discussed, self-efficacy measures in coping with cancer, and level of psychological distress. Results Between April 2020 and December 2021, 60% of 535 patients who were offered support from an AP accepted. Of these, one hundred and twenty-four patients participated in the study. The study aimed to recruit a minimum of 70 patients with the expectation of obtaining at least 50 participants, assuming a response rate of 70%. There were no differences between G1 and G2 in terms of sociodemographic data and care pathways. Statistical differences were found between G1 and G2 for impacts on and the return to daily life ( p  = 0.000), the return to the work and impacts on professional life ( p  = 0.044), announcement of a diagnosis to family and friends ( p  = 0.033), and strategies for living with treatment under the best conditions ( p  = 0.000). Significant differences were found on the topics of cancer ( p  = 0.000), genetic testing ( p  = 0.023), therapeutic options ( p  = 0.000), fatigue following treatment ( p  = 0.005), pain and discomfort after treatment or surgery ( p  = 0.000), potential emotions and their management ( p  = 0.000) and the decision-making processes ( p  = 0.011). A significant relationship was found between the two groups for patients’ ability to cope with cancer ( p  = 0.038), and their level of psychological distress at different stages of the care pathway ( p  = 0.024). Conclusions This study shows differences between one-time and ongoing support for cancer patients. It highlights the potential for APs to help patients develop self-efficacy and cope with the challenges of cancer treatment.