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Objectives Antihypertensives reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. Restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic limited access to healthcare, which may have had a negative impact on drug prescribing. This study aimed to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the initiation of antihypertensive drugs.Design Interrupted time series study using a segmented linear regression model.Setting Swedish population assessed through linked national healthcare registers.Participants 720 300 new users of antihypertensives.Intervention March 2020, COVID-19 pandemic onset.Main outcomes measures The change in the initiation of antihypertensives expressed as monthly cumulative incidence, stratified by age and sex. Data on dispensed prescriptions of diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin receptor blockers were extracted from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, from March 2018 to November 2021. Initiation (new use) was defined as having no previous dispensations before March 2019. Monthly cumulative incidence in March 2019–November 2021 was calculated as the number of patients initiating each drug class in each month divided by the population.Results The start of the pandemic was associated with an immediate drop in the initiation of any antihypertensive, but no sustained effects were observed, as the incidence continued to increase in the postinterruption period by +0.02% each month in both sexes. The immediate drop was statistically significant for ACEi in both sexes and all antihypertensive classes except diuretics in patients >65 years. А significant postintervention trend change was observed for initiation of diuretics (+0.013% overall), driven mainly by a significant increase in patients >65 years. Similar findings were also observed for diuretics in females (+0.02%) and ACEi (+0.03%) in patients >65 years.Conclusions The pandemic had an immediate negative short-term effect, but we found no major long-term negative influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on initiation of any type of antihypertensive drugs.

One Health, as a multi-disciplinary approach, considers animal, human, and environmental health. Serbia continuously records high rates of antimicrobial resistance, with a knowledge gap on practices regarding veterinary antibiotic use, as no standardized data regarding veterinary consumption of antibiotics that would allow for temporal or spatial comparison are available in Serbia. This study aimed to describe the sales of veterinary antibiotics in Serbia. Aggregated wholesale data on veterinary drug sales were retrieved from the annual reports available from the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of the Republic of Serbia for a period between 2017 and 2020. Veterinary use was analyzed using standard European Medicines Agency proposed methodology and expressed in milligrams of active substance per population correction unit (mg/PCU). Overall, there has been a 13% increase in aggregated sales, in mg/PCU, of antibiotic veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) for food-producing animals in Serbia between 2017 and 2020. With sales of around 110 mg/PCU in 2020, Serbia would have ranked ninth in Europe. In 2020, the overall highest-selling antibiotic classes were penicillins (27.62 mg/PCU), tetracyclines (27.54 mg/PCU), and aminoglycosides (12.8 mg/PCU), accounting for 61.9% of the total sales of antibiotic VMPs for food-producing animals, in mg/PCU. An increase in the use of macrolides and lincosamides and a decrease in the use of penicillins and the group classified as “other antibacterials” was noted. The current study identified an increase in the sales of veterinary antibiotics in Serbia and pointed out several potential problem areas.

Textile based sensors have gained tremendous attention in moisture sensing. Moisture monitoring is crucial in wound healing. To promote the healing process, it is essential to maintain an optimal level of moisture while limiting unnecessary dressing changes. The objective of this research was to test how well a textile moisture sensor can detect moisture from the body and wound fluid when attached to the dressing. To this end, a 3D interdigitated capacitive structure was embroidered with silver conductive threads on the textile substrate, and a bandage was placed in the centre of the multilayer structure. When compared to traditional planar interdigitated structures, the main innovation of the proposed 3D capacitive structure lies in a larger surface area for interaction with the surrounding environment, leading to enhanced sensitivity to changes in capacitance with the respect to the moisture. The 3D structure of the bandage increased the ratio between electrodes and surface area to impact the surface charge sensitivity towards the adsorbed charges of the wound and body fluid. To observe the performance of the sensor, the bandage was exposed to simulated body fluid and wound fluid. Between dry and wet conditions, the sensor can detect capacitance differences of several orders of magnitude. The threshold volume for the 3D bandage was 30 μL to 50 μL, depending on the type of biofluids. The capacitive bandage integration with the inductor was tested at high frequencies (1–400 MHz). The shift in impedance was observed for the tested fluids. Finally, to compare sensing properties of the proposed structure against the previously reported designs, a bandage sensitivity was checked for three different configurations: (a) the proposed 3D bandage, (b) a 2D bandage, composed of textile substrate with both electrodes embroidered on top of bandage, and (c) classical interdigital structure without bandage composed of textile with embroidered electrodes on the top of it. The sensitivity of the 3D bandage for simulated body fluid and wound fluid is >6.6% and 7.4%, respectively, higher than the other two structures. The integration of the proposed textile-based sensor into a bandage could facilitate wound care and have a significant impact on efficacy for patients.

Introduction: Surgical training traditionally adheres to the apprenticeship paradigm, potentially exposing trainees to an increased risk of complications stemming from their limited experience. To mitigate this risk, augmented and virtual reality have been considered, though their effectiveness is difficult to assess. Research question: The PASSION study seeks to investigate the improvement of manual dexterity following intensive training with neurosurgical simulators and to discern how surgeons' psychometric characteristics may influence their learning process and surgical performance. Material and methods: Seventy-two residents were randomized into the simulation group (SG) and control group (CG). The course spanned five days, commencing with assessment of technical skills in basic procedures within a wet-lab setting on day 1. Over the subsequent core days, the SG engaged in simulated procedures, while the CG carried out routine activities in an OR. On day 5, all residents' technical competencies were evaluated. Psychometric measures of all participants were subjected to analysis. Results: The SG demonstrated superior performance (p

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La creciente preocupación por la contaminación generada por los plásticos derivados del petróleo representa uno de los desafíos ambientales más apremiantes a nivel global en la actualidad. El uso generalizado de plásticos en una amplia gama de productos, combinado con una gestión inadecuada de los residuos, ha dado lugar a una acumulación masiva de estos materiales en entornos naturales como océanos, ríos, suelos y diversos ecosistemas. Esta problemática no solo afecta la biodiversidad y la calidad de vida de las comunidades, sino que también plantea interrogantes éticos y de sostenibilidad para las generaciones presentes y futuras. En este contexto de urgencia ambiental, es necesario explorar y promover soluciones innovadoras y sostenibles que aborden de manera integral la problemática de los plásticos y fomenten una cultura de reducción, reutilización y reciclaje. Dentro de este marco, el arte emerge como una poderosa herramienta capaz de generar conciencia, transformación social y ambiental, así como de inspirar cambios significativos en las prácticas individuales y colectivas. El artículo se centra en el desarrollo de un modelo de evaluación para el Arte Público Participativo que utiliza desechos plásticos como material artístico. Este enfoque, conocido como Upcycling o Supra-reciclaje, tiene como objetivo principal la reutilización creativa de los plásticos en la creación de obras artísticas. Además de su función estética, estas obras tienen la intención de empatizar y transmitir emociones que aporten concienciación sobre sostenibilidad, consumo responsable y gestión de residuos. Este estudio analiza cómo el arte puede ser un instrumento efectivo para abordar desafíos ambientales globales al transformar desechos en recursos artísticos y educativos. Para fundamentar y enriquecer este estudio, se recurre a diversas corrientes teóricas y disciplinas, que van desde la sociología ambiental hasta la psicología social y la ecología cultural. Entre las teorías y consideraciones relevantes se encuentran la "Teoría del valor, las normas y las creencias hacia el medioambiente" de Stern et al. (2000), que proporciona un marco conceptual para comprender cómo se construyen y transforman las actitudes y comportamientos hacia el entorno natural. Asimismo, se considera la "Psicología social de los objetos" de Mead (1932), que explora la relación entre los individuos, los objetos y la identidad personal en el contexto de la sociedad contemporánea. Además, se aborda la "Teoría de la Basura" de Thompson (1979), que analiza la evolución del valor social de los objetos, incluyendo los desechos, en el contexto de la cultura material y el consumo. La metodología propuesta para la evaluación de estos proyectos artísticos participativos se sustenta en un conjunto de variables fundamentales que abarcan aspectos como el grado de participación comunitaria en la creación de las obras, la selección y uso innovador de materiales plásticos, el impacto ambiental de las instalaciones artísticas, la integración con el entorno urbano o natural, así como el mensaje temático y simbólico que transmiten las obras a la audiencia. Este modelo de evaluación no solo busca valorar la calidad estética y conceptual de las obras, sino también su impacto social, educativo y medioambiental. Desde una perspectiva más amplia, esta focalización de Arte Público Participativo orientado en la reutilización creativa de desechos plásticos representa una oportunidad única para transformar la percepción y las prácticas relacionadas con los residuos y el consumo en nuestra sociedad. En resumen, este artículo aborda el papel crucial que desempeña el arte, especialmente cuando se integra en proyectos participativos que incluyen la reutilización creativa de desechos plásticos. Se examina cómo esta guía puede ser fundamental en la sensibilización, educación y movilización de la sociedad hacia prácticas más sostenibles y conscientes. Además de su impacto en el ámbito artístico, este enfoque contribuye significativamente a la construcción de una cultura de respeto y cuidado hacia el medio ambiente y los recursos naturales

Fishmeal and fish oil substitution in aquafeeds might have adverse effects on fish growth and health, mainly in carnivorous species, such as Mediterranean yellowtail (Seriola dumerili). Mediterranean yellowtail shows great potential as an alternative aquaculture species due to its fast growth and high price on the market, but the need for high-quality protein and fatty acid content in its diets is limiting its production. In order to improve the sustainability of its production, this study was conducted with 360 fish of 35 g to evaluate the effects on fish growth and health. Six diets were used: one control diet without replacement, three with FM replacement (FM66, FM33, and FM0) (33%, 66%, and 100% FM replacement), and two with FO replacement (FO50 and FO0) (50% and 100% FO replacement). The substitution of FM was with vegetable (VM) (corn gluten) and animal (AM) (krill and meat meal) meals. The reductions in FM and FO of up to 33 and 0%, respectively, did not affect the growth and survival of S. dumerili at the intestinal morphology level, except for the anterior intestine regarding the lower villi length and width and the posterior intestine regarding the lower width of the lamina propria. On the other hand, the substitution of fish ingredients in the diet affects liver morphology, indicating alterations in the major diameter of hepatocytes or their nuclei. Finally, diet did not affect the gut microbiota with respect to the control, but significant differences were found in alpha and beta diversity when FO and FM microbiota were compared. A 66% FM replacement and total FO replacement would be possible without causing major alterations in the fish.