This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to gain further insight into the relationship between cortisol reactivity and chronic widespread pain in patients with fibromyalgia. The studies selected were those conducted in adults with fibromyalgia that were random controlled, non-controlled or observational. Studies were excluded if they examined diseases other than fibromyalgia or if they did not report on pain or cortisol. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. Data were extracted into tabular format using predefined data fields by two reviewers and assessed for accuracy by a third reviewer. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the PEDro scale. Data Synthesis: Of 263 studies identified, 12 were selected for our review and 10 were finally included as their methodological quality was good. In the meta-analysis, we calculated effect sizes of interventions on pain indicators and cortisol levels in patients with fibromyalgia. A small overall effect of all the interventions was observed on pain tolerance and pressure pain thresholds, yet this effect lacked significance (ES = 0.150; 95%CI 0.932–1.550; p > 0.05). Conclusions: While some effects of individual nonpharmacological therapeutic interventions were observed on both cortisol levels and measures of pain, our results suggest much further work is needed to elucidate the true relationship between chronic widespread pain and cortisol levels in patients with fibromyalgia.

The present study aimed to investigate the perceived changes in lifestyle behaviors among Spanish university students during COVID-19-related confinement. An observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional survey study was conducted during April 2020. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data were then obtained. The FANTASTIC questionnaire was used to assess the lifestyles of the 488 participants who took part in the study. Of the participants, 76.3% were female. Overall, the lifestyles of university students significantly deteriorated during the period of confinement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. University female students were especially affected compared to their male fellows (p = 0.010). For women, social and family relationships (p < 0.001), personality (p < 0.001), interior (p < 0.001), and career (p < 0.001) were the aspects that worsened during confinement. For men, lack of physical exercise (p < 0.001), social and family relationships (p < 0.001), and career (p = 0.002) were affected to a greater extent. In both cases, confinement was a protective factor against the consumption of tobacco, toxins (p < 0.001), and alcohol (p < 0.001). Gender (p = 0.008) and obesity (p = 0.044) were the two factors that most affected the change in the score of the FANTASTIC questionnaire. Spanish university students’ lifestyles worsened during the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those of women, who were the most affected. Some aspects, such as those related to social and emotional behaviors, were deeply affected, while confinement could be a protective factor against previous toxic habits.

The main aim of this study was to identify the perceptions of people suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) regarding the need for specialised nursing care, based on their opinions from their own experience. A qualitative design with an inductive approach based on constructivist grounded theory was conducted using a questionnaire. Almost 63 % of respondents felt that a nursing intervention was necessary for the patient's self-care and supported the care of the environment of the patient with IBD in need of care. Approximately 75 % of respondents felt that the initial nursing consultation following diagnosis of IBD was essential to address all aspects of the patient's daily life and environment for quality care and follow-up. More than 87 % of respondents felt it was important for nurses to recognise the need for referral to other professionals when caring for IBD patients and their environment to maximise their wellbeing. The percentage of females who answered yes to this last question was significantly higher than that of males (p = 0.025). Some 67.1 % of respondents felt that nurses should be responsible for informing the patient and those around them of the steps to be taken following diagnosis and what these consist of. More than 94 % of all respondents felt that IBD patients and their carers should have a plan and time for specific and appropriate education on this topic. More than 80 % of respondents agreed that the progression, monitoring, and management of their IBD should be supervised by a nurse in addition to their specialist doctor to achieve an optimal level of quality. In conclusion, this study shows that patients suffering from IBD consider the role of the nurse to be crucial in the diagnosis, management and treatment of their disease and highlights the need for specialised nurses in inflammatory bowel disease who can provide patients with high-quality healthcare.

The highest prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors has been associated with obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and elevated blood pressure due to high workload and work stress. This study aimed to analyze the cardiometabolic risk and lifestyles among the health sciences university academics and campus administrators at a private university in Spain. A cross-sectional study was conducted during the 2018–2019 academic year by the Nursing Department, using a self-administered questionnaire and face-to-face assessments of anthropometric variables related to cardiovascular risk in university personnel. The variables measured included sociodemographics, cardiovascular risk history, comorbidities, toxic habits, Mediterranean diet adherence, physical exercise, psychosocial stress, and physical, anthropometric, and analytical data. Cardiovascular risk was categorized into relative (40 years). Among the 101 participants, 61.4% were women, with a mean age of 41.3 years ± 9 years. The smoking prevalence was 21.8% (68.2% women), 27.7% were sedentary, and 51.0% adhered to the Mediterranean diet, with higher adherence among the academics. Emotional risk was present in 32.7% of the participants. A prior diagnosis of hypertension was significantly more frequent in the men (15.4%) compared to the women (3.2%). The blood pressure measurements were mostly optimal across both genders and professional groups, but the proportion of hypertension grade 1 was significantly higher among the academics (10%) compared to the administrators (4.5%) and among the men (11.1%) compared to the women (5.9%). The absolute cardiovascular risk among the university employees was generally low, but the men exhibited a more moderate risk compared to the women. It is necessary for the university to promote health within its community, with the Nursing Department playing a key role in health promotion and research.

Standard precautions, including protections from blood and body fluid exposure, are designed to protect health care providers from infections. Sharps safety practices rarely include the potential for the unconscious patient's own body to be a potential source of clinician percutaneous injury from sharp objects outside of the perioperative setting. This case report reviews a percutaneous injury to the hand of a physician who was performing chest compressions on a patient with an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The 76-year-old patient in cardiac arrest had undergone a medial sternotomy surgery 15 years before the arrest. The sternal wire rotated owing to the initial chest compressions, breaking the clinician's nitrile glove and producing an open wound on the thenar region of the clinician's right hand. Application of a 10 × 10 12-ply gauze pack on the chest of the patient in cardiac arrest allowed the resuscitation team to continue with the compressions with no further wounds from the wire. This case report is a novel contribution to the published literature and advances standard precautions considerations in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, with the sternotomy wire from previous surgery as a source of percutaneous clinician injury during chest compression.

Educational transformation in the university environment requires updating the basic skills of all university students to the educational moment in which they find themselves. This study aimed to determine the basic skills in the use of information and communications technology that were identified as known, both conceptually and procedurally, in 15 university students with intellectual disabilities. To ascertain the importance of digital skills and information and communications technology tools, a descriptive, cross-sectional, pre-post study was conducted. Descriptive results and statistical analyses are presented with a t-test for independent samples for the variables with a normal distribution, assuming a hypothesis that the post values would be greater than those obtained pre. It was confirmed that there is an increase in the perceived procedural knowledge and skills in different digital tools based on participants’ self-perception (p < 0.0001).