Dpto. Enfermería y Fisioterapia

Background: Confinement conditions in prison communities are associated with increased susceptibility to infectious outbreaks. The COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by high transmissibility and clinical severity resulting in a high number of infections and deaths worldwide. Vaccination has been a crucial tool in mitigating its devastating effects. The aim of this study is to asses the prevalence of antibodies against the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in vaccinated prisoners and staff at a specific prison in Alicante. Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was designed for the population in scope using a rapid lateral flow immunochromatography serological test, conducted on July 27, 2023. Demographic and clinical variables were collected through a questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 29.0 software. Results: A total of 560 people participated in the study; the predominant profile was men (77.3%) with an average age of 45.7 years. 71.4% of subjects were prisoners and 28.6% were prison staff. Regarding the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies obtained through serological test, 60.9% of the sample gave a positive result. 69.1% of participants received the last dose in 2022 or later and 62.2% received booster doses. The vaccines administered in the last dose were Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna in 88.6% of the cases. 59.5% of sample had suffered from COVID-19 and 67.0% did not have any clinical comorbidity. In the regression analysis, it was observed that the variables with a stronger statistical relationship with presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were: the number of years since last vaccine dose was received (aOR: 0.08; 95%CI: 0.05; 0.16) the number of vaccine doses received (aOR: 4.8; 95%CI: 2.9; 8.0) and presenting any comorbidity (aOR: 4.3; 95%CI: 2.4; 8.0). The staff received more booster doses and obtained a better response to seropositivity, with 72.5% of anti-SARS-CoV-2 result positive while prisoners reached 56.3%. Conclusion: The COVID-19 vaccination status within the prison community following the initiation of primary immunization and subsequent booster doses, shows a low immunization coverage (60.9%), which is below expectations given the immunization strategies implemented since the start of the pandemic. There are notable differences in vaccination rates between prison staff and prisoners. These disparities are concerning, and authorities responsible for prison public health should take a more proactive approach to ensuring vaccination among prisoners.

The aim of this present clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multicomponent prehabilitation programme administered through educational videos versus another programme based on written exercise recommendations, in patients scheduled for lumbar radiculopathy surgery. This study will be a multicentre, controlled, randomised, parallel clinical trial. One hundred participants undergoing lumbar radiculopathy surgery who meet the established inclusion criteria will be recruited at different Spanish hospitals. The experimental group will follow a 4-week prehabilitation programme combining therapeutic exercise, back care education, and pain neuroscience education delivered through videos designed for consumption at home. The control group will be provided with written instructions to perform therapeutic exercises during the same prehabilitation time period. The primary outcome of the study will be disability, assessed using the Spanish version of the Oswestry Disability Index. The secondary outcomes will be pain perception, health-related quality of life, fear avoidance, kinesiophobia, catastrophising, anxiety, depression, physical activity, and the treatment satisfaction of the patients. This study will provide evidence for the effectiveness of a home-based multicomponent prehabilitation programme that addresses some already identified barriers to patient attendance in face-to-face programmes. Understanding the medium and long-term effects of pre-surgery lumbar muscle training and pain neuroscience education administered via instructional videos watched by patients at home, will help improve the design of prehabilitation programmes in this population while also improving the cost-effectiveness of such interventions.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal condition. While inflammatory biomarkers are valuable for diagnosing and monitoring the disease, their correlation with patients’ quality of life (QoL) is not well-established. Purpose: This study aims to investigate the correlations between inflammatory biomarkers and the quality of life (QoL) variables of individuals diagnosed with IBD in clinical remission. Methods: The sample of this cross-sectional study included 74 patients (80% women; 45 ± 11 years old) diagnosed with IBD. Outcome variables included faecal calprotectin (FC), C-reactive protein (CRP), cortisol levels from hair samples, and anxiety and depression assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A and HADS-D, respectively), alongside QoL evaluated with the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire 32 (IBDQ-32). Bivariate correlations were calculated using the Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise linear regression analyses were conducted to identify independent factors contributing to IBDQ-32 scores. Results: The IBDQ-32 did not significantly correlate with any biomarkers. However, it exhibited a large and statistically significant negative correlation with HADS-A (r = −0.651) and HADS-D (r = −0.611) scores (p < 0.001). Stepwise linear regression analyses indicated that HADS-A was a significant and independent predictor for IBDQ-32 scores (Adjusted R2 = 0.41, β = −0.65, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Inflammatory markers such as CRP, FC, or cortisol in hair do not play a decisive role in assessing the QoL of IBD patients. These findings emphasize the significance of considering psychological factors in evaluating and managing QoL in IBD patients in order to identify severity, suggesting that instruments like HADS should be integral to comprehensive patient assessments.

Objective: To investigate the effects of adding stretching to a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme in women with fibromyalgia. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Subjects: Sixty-four female patients who were diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome based on the American College of Rheumatology criteria were recruited (mean age: 54.27 ± 6.94 years). Interventions: The control group (n = 32) underwent supervised moderate-intensity cycling (50%-70% of the age-predicted maximum heart rate) three times per week for 12 weeks. The experimental group (n = 32) underwent the same exercise programme plus a stretching programme once per week for 12 weeks. Main measures: The main measures of this study were sleep quality assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the impact of fibromyalgia on quality of life assessed by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, and pain perception assessed by the visual analogue scale at baseline, after 4 weeks, and after 12 weeks. Results: The experimental group experienced significant improvements at 4-week measure compared with control group: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (P < 0.001); Epworth Sleepiness Scale (P = 0.002); Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (0.93 ± 7.39, P < 0.001); and visual analogue scale (0.52 ± 0.05, P < 0.001). Also at 12-week measure, experimental group experienced significant improvements compared with control group: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (P < 0.001), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (P < 0.001); Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (1.15 ± 9.11, P < 0.001); and visual analogue scale (0.81 ± 0.62, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Adding stretching to a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme increased sleep quality, decreased the impact of fibromyalgia on the quality of life, and reduced pain compared with just a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise programme in our sample of women with fibromyalgia.

The purpose of this study was to perform the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation Questionnaire to Spanish language and evaluate its reliability and validity. The translation and cultural adaptation into Spanish was done in accordance with the published guidelines. One-hundred fifty Spanish-speaking patients with unilateral chronic lateral epicondylalgia competed the questionnaire. Test-retest reliability was established by the intraclass correlation coefficient. Internal consistency was established with Cronbach's α. To establish convergent validity, we used the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire using the Spearman's correlation coefficient. Error estimation in the measurements was calculated with the standard error of measurement. Our results showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .96) and high test-retest reliability (intraclass coefficient = .9; .89-.94; P < .001). The Spearman's correlation coefficient (r = .765; P < .001) showed a good relationship between the Spanish version of the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation Questionnaire and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Questionnaire. The standard error of measurement (11.9%) showed little variability of measurements. In conclusion, the Spanish version of the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation Questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool that can be used to assess lateral epicondylalgia in Spanish-speaking individuals in order to implement the best treatment and reduce time with pain and disability.

Objectives To evaluate the effects of a cardiac rehabilitation programme based on neuromuscular training (NMT) compared with classic rehabilitation strength training (CRST) in patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Design Preliminary randomised, double-blinded, parallel clinical trial. Setting University health clinic in Valencia, Spain. Participants Thirty patients with ACS. Interventions Patients were assigned to one of two groups at random: the NMT group (n = 15) and the CRST group (n = 15). All patients attended the 20 sessions of the exercise programme. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT). The secondary outcomes were the Chester Step Test (CST), the 30-Second Chair Stand Test (30CST), and hip flexor dynamometry. Assessments were made at baseline, immediately post-treatment, and at 6-month follow-up. Results The NMT group showed a greater improvement in the ISWT than the CRST group, both at post-treatment {mean 648 [standard deviation (SD) 197] vs 493 (SD 219), mean difference 155, 95% confidence interval (CI) −1 to 310} and at follow-up [732 (SD 183) vs 518 (SD 222), mean difference 214, 95% CI 61 to 367]. The secondary outcomes showed significant between-group differences in favour of the NMT group at 6-month follow-up, except for the 30CST. Conclusions These preliminary findings indicate that a cardiac rehabilitation programme based on NMT may improve functional capacity in terms of patient performance, cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength. Moreover, the improvements were maintained at mediumterm follow-up. This could help improve the design of rehabilitation sessions, considering factors associated with performing everyday activities in patients affected by ACS.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a group of illnesses that include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, congenital heart disease and deep vein thrombosis. Major surgery is often chosen as the treatment of choice for CVD. The concept of fast-track rehabilitation after surgery appeared in the 1970s. Participation in these exercise-based prehabilitation programmes may decrease postoperative complications and length of hospital stay. The primary aim of the present study is to evaluate whether the implementation of an additional resistance training (RT) prehabilitation protocol within cardiac exercises based prehabilitation can reduce intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, postoperative complications and hospital length of stay (LOS). Methods: A protocol of a prospective, parallel, randomised clinical trial includes 96 adult patients diagnosed with valvular pathology and who have been scheduled for surgery. The participants will be randomly assigned to two groups of 48. Control group will be treated with ventilatory and strengthening of respiratory muscles, and aerobic exercise. Experimental group, in addition, will be treated with RT of peripheral muscles. Both hospital stay and ICU stay will be assessed as main variables. Other secondary variables such as exercise capacity, quality of life and respiratory values will also be assessed. Quantitative variables will be analysed with a T-Test or ANOVA, or Mann Witney if the distribution is non-parametric. Results and conclusion: This will be the first controlled clinical study focused on adding strength exercise as an additional treatment during prehabilitation. The results of this study will focus on helping to improve rehabilitation and prehabilitation protocols, considering that it is essential to maintain pulmonary training, as well as the inclusion of peripheral exercises that help people with heart disease to be in a better physical condition in order to increase their participation and sense of quality of life.