Search

This study empirically tests the hypothesis in the literature that women, in their investment decisions, tend to show greater risk aversion and/or a lower degree of optimism than their male counterparts by analyzing investment recommendations by Equity Research analysts in Brazil. Based on a sample of 7496 recommendations for the main companies listed on the B3 between 2009-2021, a statistically significant effect was found in the opposite direction to that predicted: recommendations made by women tended to be more optimistic. We found that the difference is specific to sell recommendations, issued more frequently by men and that the effect disappears when controlling for the coverage sector and institution, which suggests that the difference is due to the fact of women, who account for only 12.8% of all recommendations, focus on covering specific sectors, such as consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundFalls have implications for the health of older adults. Strength and balance interventions significantly reduce the risk of falls; however, patients seldom perform the dose of exercise that is required based on evidence. Health professionals play an important role in supporting older adults as they perform and progress in their exercises. Teleconferencing could enable health professionals to support patients more frequently, which is important in exercise behavior. ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the overall concept and acceptability of teleconferencing for the delivery of falls rehabilitation with health care professionals and older adults and to examine the usability, acceptability, and feasibility of teleconferencing delivery with health care professionals and patients. MethodsThere were 2 stages to the research: patient and public involvement workshops and usability and feasibility testing. A total of 2 workshops were conducted, one with 5 health care professionals and the other with 8 older adults from a community strength and balance exercise group. For usability and feasibility testing, we tested teleconferencing both one-to-one and in small groups on a smartphone with one falls service and their patients for 3 weeks. Semistructured interviews and focus groups were used to explore acceptability, usability, and feasibility. Focus groups were conducted with the service that used teleconferencing with patients and 2 other services that received only a demonstration of how teleconferencing works. Qualitative data were analyzed using the framework approach. ResultsIn the workshops, the health care professionals thought that teleconferencing provided an opportunity to save travel time. Older adults thought that it could enable increased support. Safety is of key importance, and delivery needs to be carefully considered. Both older adults and health care professionals felt that it was important that technology did not eliminate face-to-face contact. There were concerns from older adults about the intrusiveness of technology. For the usability and feasibility testing, 7 patients and 3 health care professionals participated, with interviews conducted with 6 patients and a focus group with the health care team. Two additional teams (8 health professionals) took part in a demonstration and focus group. Barriers and facilitators were identified, with 5 barriers around reliability due to poor connectivity, cost of connectivity, safety concerns linked to positioning of equipment and connectivity, intrusiveness of technology, and resistance to group teleconferencing. Two facilitators focused on the positive benefits of increased support and monitoring and positive solutions for future improvements. ConclusionsTeleconferencing as a way of delivering fall prevention interventions can be acceptable to older adults, patients, and health care professionals if it works effectively. Connectivity, where there is no Wi-Fi provision, is one of the largest issues. Therefore, local infrastructure needs to be improved. A larger usability study is required to establish whether better equipment for delivery improves usability.

BackgroundFalls have implications for older adults’ health and well-being. Strength and balance interventions significantly reduce the risk of falls. However, patients do not always perform the unsupervised home exercise needed for fall reduction. ObjectiveThis study aims to develop motivational smartphone apps co-designed with health professionals and older adults to support patients to perform exercise proven to aid fall reduction and to explore the apps’ usability and acceptability with both health professionals and patients. MethodsThere were 3 phases of app development that included analysis, design, and implementation. For analysis, we examined the literature to establish key app components and had a consultation with 12 older adults attending a strength and balance class, exercise instructors, and 3 fall services. For design, we created prototype apps and conducted 2 patient and public involvement workshops, one with 5 health professionals and the second with 8 older adults from an exercise group. The apps were revised based on the feedback. For implementation, we tested them with one fall service and their patients for 3 weeks. Participatory evaluation was used through testing, semistructured interviews, and focus groups to explore acceptability and usability. Focus groups were conducted with the service that tested the apps and two other services. Qualitative data were analyzed using the framework approach. ResultsOn the basis of findings from the literature and consultations in the analysis phase, we selected Behavior Change Techniques, such as goal setting, action planning, and feedback on behavior, to be key parts of the app. We developed goals using familiar icons for patients to select and add while self-reporting exercise and decided to develop 2 apps, one for patients (My Activity Programme) and one for health professionals (Motivate Me). This enabled health professionals to guide patients through the goal-setting process, making it more accessible to nontechnology users. Storyboards were created during the design phase, leading to prototypes of “Motivate Me” and “My Activity Programme.” Key changes from the workshops included being able to add more details about the patients’ exercise program and a wider selection of goals within “Motivate Me.” The overall app design was acceptable to health professionals and older adults. In total, 7 patients and 3 health professionals participated in testing in the implementation phase, with interviews conducted with 6 patients and focus groups, with 3 teams (11 health professionals). Barriers, facilitators, and further functionality were identified for both apps, with 2 cross-cutting themes around phone usability and confidence. ConclusionsThe motivational apps were found to be acceptable for older adults taking part in the design stage and patients and health professionals testing the apps in a clinical setting. User-led design is important to ensure that the apps are usable and acceptable.

Background: The peri-adolescent period is a crucial developmental moment of transition from childhood to emergent adulthood. The present report analyses the differences in Power Spectrum (PS) of the Electroencephalogram (EEG) between late childhood (24 children between 8 and 13 years old) and young adulthood (24 young adults between 18 and 23 years old). Results: The narrow band analysis of the Electroencephalogram was computed in the frequency range of 0-20 Hz. The analysis of mean and variance suggested that six frequency ranges presented a different rate of maturation at these ages, namely: low delta, delta-theta, low alpha, high alpha, low beta and high beta. For most of these bands the maturation seems to occur later in anterior sites than posterior sites. Correlational analysis showed a lower pattern of correlation between different frequencies in children than in young adults, suggesting a certain asynchrony in the maturation of different rhythms. The topographical analysis revealed similar topographies of the different rhythms in children and young adults. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) demonstrated the same internal structure for the Electroencephalogram of both age groups. Principal Component Analysis allowed to separate four subcomponents in the alpha range. All these subcomponents peaked at a lower frequency in children than in young adults. Conclusions: The present approaches complement and solve some of the incertitudes when the classical brain broad rhythm analysis is applied. Children have a higher absolute power than young adults for frequency ranges between 0-20 Hz, the correlation of Power Spectrum (PS) with age and the variance age comparison showed that there are six ranges of frequencies that can distinguish the level of EEG maturation in children and adults. The establishment of maturational order of different frequencies and its possible maturational interdependence would require a complete series including all the different ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neste artigo, a evolução do meu trabalho de pesquisa torna-se uma estratégia narrativa para conhecer as múltiplas dimensões que a maternidade lésbica, como objeto de investigação, pode ter ao longo do tempo. Ao mesmo tempo, este tour pretende recapitular as mudanças que ocorreram na percepção da maternidade lésbica na Espanha nos últimos dez anos, passando da invisibilidade ao reconhecimento legal, contando hoje com uma vasta gama de possibilidades de acesso à parentalidade

BackgroundAs adults age, their physical activity decreases and sedentary behavior increases, leading to increased risk of negative health outcomes. Wearable electronic activity monitors have shown promise for delivering effective behavior change techniques. However, little is known about the feasibility and acceptability of non-Fitbit wearables (Fitbit, Inc, San Francisco, California) combined with telephone counseling among adults aged more than 55 years. ObjectiveThe purpose of our study was to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and effect on physical activity of an intervention combining a wearable physical activity monitor, tablet device, and telephone counseling among adults aged 55-79 years. MethodsAdults (N=40, aged 55-79 years, body mass index=25-35,

Purpose: We report a case of iris pigment epithelial cysts in a newborn and discuss the importance of an accurate diagnosis for prevention of amblyopia.Methods: We describe a case of an abnormal red reflex seen on a newborn exam.Results: A full-term female born via normal spontaneous vaginal delivery without any complications was seen in the newborn nursery. She was noted to have an abnormal eye exam. Pupils were large with circular dark excrescences of the iris pigment epithelium. She was referred to a pediatric ophthalmologist where she was noted to fixate and follow faces. No afferent pupillary defect was seen. OD red reflex was normal whereas OS red reflex was blocked mostly by dark excrescences. A 2– dark brown lesion was seen in the OD iris and a 3–5 mm dark brown lesion was seen in the OS iris, consistent with a pupillary iris pigment epithelial cyst. Central visual axis was clear OU. Glaucoma was not present and patching was not performed. Observations and clinical photographs were recommended with follow-up in three months.Conclusion: Iris pigment epithelial cysts are uncommonly seen in children. The primary care provider first seeing a newborn must be aware of lesions obscuring a red reflex with appropriate follow-up. Follow-up in three months with IOP measurements is recommended. Iris pigment epithelial cysts in children may be a cause of amblyopia, thus prompt evaluation is important for prognostic purposes and the prevention of amblyopia.

Este estudo busca testar empiricamente a hipótese, presente na literatura, de que, em suas decisões de investimento, mulheres tenderiam a apresentar maior aversão ao risco e/ou menor grau de otimismo do que seus pares homens baseado na análise das recomendações de investimento por parte de analistas de Equity Research no Brasil. Numa amostra com 7496 recomendações para as principais empresas listadas na B3 entre 2009-2021, encontrou-se um efeito estatisticamente significativo na direção oposta ao previsto: recomendações feitas por mulheres tenderam a ser mais otimistas. Verificou-se que a diferença se dá especificamente nas recomendações de venda, emitidas mais frequentemente por homens, e que o efeito desaparece ao se controlar o setor de cobertura e a instituição a que o analista pertence. Ou seja, sugere que a diferença ocorre porque mulheres, que respondem por apenas 12,8% do total de recomendações, se concentrarem na cobertura de setores específicos, como consumo.

Aims: Incomplete decongestion due to lack of titration of diuretics to effective doses is a common reason for readmission in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). The natriuretic response prediction equation (NRPE) is a novel tool that proved to be rapid and accurate to predict natriuretic response and does not need urine collection. However, the NRPE has not been externally validated. The goal of this study was to externally validate the discrimination capacity of the NRPE in patients with ADHF and fluid overload., Methods and Results: Patients admitted with ADHF who required intravenous loop diuretics were included. A spot urine sample was obtained ~2 h following diuretic administration, and a timed 6-h urine collection by study staff was carried out. Urine sodium and urine creatinine from the spot urine sample were used to predict the 6-h natriuretic response using the NRPE. The primary goal was to validate the NRPE to discriminate poor loop diuretic natriuretic response (sodium output <50 mmol in the 6 h following diuretic administration). The NRPE was compared with urine sodium and measured urine output which are the methods currently recommended by international guidelines to assess diuretic response. Eighty-seven diuretic administrations from 49 patients were analysed. Mean age of patients was 57 ± 17 years and 67% were male. Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate was 65 ± 28 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , and ejection fraction was 35 ± 15%. Median dose of intravenous furosemide equivalents administered the day of the study was 80 mg (IQR 40 - 160). Poor natriuretic response occurred in 39% of the visits. The AUC of the NRPE to predict poor natriuretic response during the 6-h urine collection was 0.91 (95% CI 0.85-0.98). Compared with the NRPE, spot urine sodium concentration (AUC 0.75) and urine output during the corresponding nursing shift (AUC 0.74) showed lower discrimination capacity., Conclusions: In this cohort of patients with ADHF, the NRPE outperformed spot urine sodium concentration and all other metrics related to diuretic response to predict poor natriuretic response. Our findings support the use of this equation at other settings to allow rapid and accurate prediction of natriuretic response., (© 2024 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Introduction: Fluid overload is a frequent and serious complication in hemodialysis patients. The combination of multiple point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) measurements can identify significant venous congestion, but its usefulness to determine ultrafiltration (UF) requirements and dry weight is unknown. Therefore, we evaluated prospectively patients in maintenance hemodialysis to establish the correlations between changes in venous congestion parameters and fluid removal., Methods: This was a prospective, single-center, observational study. POCUS venous congestion measurements were performed in 22 patients during 32 online post-dilutional hemodiafiltration sessions, and findings were correlated with UF volume, central venous pressure, and body water composition determined by multifrequency bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA)., Results: The pre-dialysis weight was on average 1.9 kg above the BIA estimated dry weight, the average initial inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter was <2 cm. An initial abnormal hepatic vein (HV) waveform was present in 26% (8) of the measurements. The average UF volume was 2,084 ± 655 mL and correlated with changes in IVC diameter (R = 0.34, 95% CI: [0.18, 0.56], p < 0.05) but not with any other POCUS venous congestion parameters. Normalization of the IVC diameter and HV waveform was observed during the first UF hour in all initially altered measurements. Diameter reduction in the IVC correlated with total body water volume reduction estimated with BIA when measured immediately after fluid removal (R = 0.34, 95% CI: [0.08, 0.56], p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Reduction in IVC diameter had a modest but significant correlation with UF volume in our patients on maintenance hemodiafiltration. POCUS may be used to monitor patients during UF., (© 2024 S. Karger AG, Basel.)