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Aim: This work describes the validation of an in-house extraction free real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) in throat swabs collected in gel amies., Method: Throat swabs received by the laboratory were prospectively tested by routine bacterial culture and an in-house PCR assay targeting the GAS SpeB gene with a multiplexed RNaseP internal control. Samples with discrepant culture/PCR results had additional testing using the commercial Xpert Group A Strep PCR assay (Cepheid). Post introduction of the in-house GAS PCR the comparative laboratory turn-around time between PCR and historic culture results was determined., Results: Of the 1,093 throat swabs included in the final analysis, GAS was detected by culture and GAS PCR in 262 (24.0%) and 319 (29.2%) respectively. The overall, positive and negative agreement of the GAS PCR with culture was 94.2%, 98.9% and 92.8% respectively. Of the 63 discordant samples, one (33.3%) of three culture positive/in-house PCR negative samples and 56 (93.3%) of 60 culture negative/in-house PCR positive samples were GAS positive on the Xpert Group A Strep assay. Median turn-around time from laboratory receipt to result decreased from 44 to 16 hours with the introduction of the GAS PCR into routine practice. Forty-five percent of samples came from European patients and 25% from persons aged over 30 years, suggesting over-testing in persons at low risk of GAS pharyngitis complications., Conclusion: The in-house GAS PCR provided greater and faster detection of GAS from throat swabs compared to culture. However, throat swabbing for GAS needs to be better targeted to those populations at high risk of post-GAS pharyngitis complications., Competing Interests: Nil., (© PMA.)

Introduction: Walking is a beneficial healthy lifestyle for fibromyalgia patients as it reduces the intensity of pain and fatigue experienced and improves quality of life. In this context, self-efficacy and commitment are potential predictors of walking for women with fibromyalgia. Present study aims at examining the moderation role of exercise commitment in the association between self-efficacy for walking and walking behavior in this population., Method: It is a cross‑sectional study. A total of 132 women with fibromyalgia participated (mean age = 57.63, SD = 10.44) between January and December 2018. Self-efficacy about walking was assessed through Spanish version of self-efficacy scale for physical activity scale (SEPAS) and exercise commitment through ad-hoc questionnaire (two Likert-type items about the committed action of physical activity). Walking behavior was measured using accelerometers for seven consecutive days. Pain and fatigue prior to placement of the accelerometer were evaluated as possible covariates. Regarding medical history, time since onset of symptoms (i.e. pain, fatigue) and since diagnosis, and medication were also assessed as possible covariates., Results: A moderation effect of exercise commitment was found in the relationship between self-efficacy on walking behavior (B = 10.48, p = .021, 95%, CI = 0.61 to 6.79). Post-hoc analyses showed a significant and positive relationship between self-efficacy and walking only with high commitment to physical activity (t = 10.08, p = .027, 95%, CI = 3.77 to 5.64)., Conclusions: Self-efficacy for walking and commitment should be assessed and potentially targeted when focusing on increasing walking in women with fibromyalgia. Key Points • Associations between walking self-efficacy and exercise engagement provide indications of modifiable targets for promoting an active lifestyle in fibromyalgia. • When patients feel engaged in their physical exercise pattern (walking), patients feel more able to perform the behavior. • Rehabilitation interventions, focused on chronic pain, should contemplate the promotion of self-efficacy and engagement., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR).)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common postpartum problem and influences maternal bonding with the infant. However, the relationship between this disorder, maternal personality, and the infant's emotional state during feeding is not clear. The aim of the present study was to explore the contribution of neuroticism on the infant's emotional state during feeding, by attending to the mediating role of postpartum PTSD (P-PTSD) symptoms and the moderating role of worries during pregnancy. A prospective design study was developed with 120 women with a low pregnancy risk. They responded to a questionnaire assessing maternal personality (first trimester), worries during pregnancy (third trimester), P-PTSD symptoms, and mother-baby bonding (4 months postpartum). The results showed a positive association among neuroticism, infant irritability during feeding, and P-PTSD symptoms, suggesting the latter plays a mediating role in the relationship between neuroticism and infant irritability (B = 0.102, standard error (SE) = 0.03, 95% coefficient interval (CI) [0.038, 0.176]). Excessive worries, related to coping with infant care, played a moderating role between neuroticism and P-PTSD symptoms (B = 0.413, SE = 0.084, p = 0.006, 95% CI [0.245, 0.581]). This relationship was interfered with by depressive symptoms in the first trimester (covariate) (B = 1.820, SE = 0.420, p = 0.016, ci [2.314, 0.251]). This study contributes to a better understanding of the role of neuroticism as an influential factor in the occurrence of P-PTSD symptoms, and in the impairment of infant bonding during feeding. Paying attention to these factors may favor the development of psychological support programs for mothers, with the aim of strengthening the bond with their child.

Purpose: Breast cancer involves complicated emotional processes. One of the factors that impacts the psychological symptoms and decreases QoL is the side effects of treatment. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of the main medical treatment (chemotherapy or hormone therapy) on the three domains of quality of life. For this, coping strategies were considered as psychological variables that mediate the relationship based on high or low alexithymia as a moderating variable., Methods: This study had a cross-sectional design. The participant sample comprised 129 women with breast cancer in early stage (I to III) (63 receiving chemotherapy and 66 hormone therapy) and were evaluated from September 2015 to September 2019. Physical, emotional and social functioning were measured by the Quality of Life Questionnaire for cancer patients (EORTC-QLQ-C30), coping strategies were measured by Mental Adjustment to Cancer Questionnaire (MAC) and alexithymia was evaluated by the Alexithymia Toronto Scale (TAS-20)., Results: Treatment had a significant negative effect on physical domain in both patients receiving chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Moderated mediation analysis show that this relationship was significant when it was mediated by helplessness. Furthermore, this model is only significant when there are high levels of alexithymia. No significant effect direct was found on emotional and social functioning of quality of life., Conclusions: Results confirmed that coping based on helplessness and stable emotional variables such as alexithymia can have an effect, mediator or moderator, respectively, in the decrease of the physical functionality of women with breast cancer. Our findings highlight the need to include psychological therapy to help patients alleviate their psychological state because it can affect their physical condition., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Breast cancer is a disease that is difficult to face and that often hinders body acceptance. Body changes due to surgery can be very emotionally challenging for those who experience them. The aim of this study is to explore the differences on body image and psychological adjustment on women with breast cancer with high and low alexithymia according to the type of surgery. In this cross-sectional study, 119 women diagnosed with breast cancer (stages I, II, and III) were evaluated with different self-report questionnaires. Afterward, patients were divided into two groups (high and low levels of alexithymia) to analyze dependent variables (body image and psychological adjustment) according to the type of surgery (radical mastectomy or breast conserving therapy). The results of the General Linear Model suggest that when patients show high alexithymia combined with having undergone a radical mastectomy, they show higher levels of Hopelessness. Furthermore, in patients with high alexithymia, higher scores of maladaptive coping styles and greater distortion of body image were found. Alexithymia seems to play an important role in the way in which women cope with their disease, especially in those with radical mastectomy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Gutiérrez Hermoso, Velasco Furlong, Sánchez-Román and Salas Costumero.)

According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the Hispanic female population, and it carries a great psychological impact. Acceptance and personal learning derived from the individual's life experiences and understanding of their emotional state has been suggested as an adaptive profile toward the patient's perception of the disease. This study aims to explore which psychological variables are related to breast cancer patients' perception of their quality of life. A cross-sectional, correlational, and non-probabilistic study was performed on 113 women diagnosed with stage 1-3 breast cancer in Mexico and Spain, based on self-reporting through the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire. Recruitment was conducted from March 2015 to April 2018. Through multiple regression analysis, the study found that fighting spirit and positive affect explained 34.2% of quality of life variance F (2, 110) = 30.14, p <.005 of participants. The results support the need to contemplate the importance of positive psychological variables for a multidisciplinary approach to women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Although fatigue usually goes unnoticed, it is a symptom that poses great challenges to patients with fibromyalgia and is a strong limitation. The aim of this study is to identify and describe the variables involved in fatigue in nine different situations of the Goal Pursuit Questionnaire (GPQ) that may occur in the daily lives of women with fibromyalgia, according to an ABC (Antecedents-Behaviors-Consequences) model. This study followed a qualitative descriptive research method and a deductive-inductive hybrid approach based on a phenomenological paradigm. Twenty-six women with fibromyalgia participated in focus group discussions between February and March of 2018. Thematic content analysis was carried out from transcribed verbatim interviews. We identified nine major themes that emerged from the participants' conversations: self-imposed duties, muscle fatigue, overwhelming feeling of tiredness, difficulty thinking, difficulty concentrating, negative emotions, lifestyle changes, affected everyday activities, and lack of motivation for daily activities and social interactions. We conclude that the ABC model allowed certain elements to emerge regarding the fatigue experience, highlighting its importance as a symptom in fibromyalgia. This additional analysis of the ABC model showed that fatigue can be described through the 4 U's Rule, which is integrated by these four adjectives: (1) Unpredictable, (2) Uncontrollable, (3) Unseen, and (4) Unintelligible. Identifying these characteristics can contribute to a better understanding of fibromyalgia in addition to better treatment for these patients.