El afecto o emoción como tema de investigación científica ha despertado un gran interés en los últimos años (Isen, 2007). Aunque las emociones experimentadas por las personas constituyen un tópico de gran relevancia actual y con múltiples y variadas repercusiones en el ejercicio profesional del psicólogo, en nuestro medio no se cuenta con instrumentos psicométricos adaptados que permitan medir de manera válida y confiable dicha variable. Tomando esto en consideración, el presente trabajo tuvo por objetivo realizar una adaptación psicométrica de la Escala de Afectividad Positiva y Negativa (PANAS; Watson & Clark, 1988) a la población de adultos de la ciudad de Córdoba. Con este fin, luego de realizar un estudio piloto, se administró el PANAS a una muestra de 205 adultos con edades comprendidas entre los 25 y 65 años. Los estudios de estructura interna realizados mediante el Análisis Factorial Exploratorio sugieren la existencia de dos dimensiones que explican un 39% de la variabilidad de la prueba. Se calculó además la correlación ítem total y el índice de discriminación de cada ítem y se examinó la consistencia interna de la escala utilizando el coeficiente Alfa de Cronbach (0.73; 0.82). Finalmente, se obtuvieron evidencias externas contrastando grupos según la edad, género y nivel de estudio de los participantes. Los resultados son similares a los observados en estudios antecedentes (Robles y Páez, 2003; Sandin et al, 1999). Aunque se requiere de investigaciones adicionales, los análisis preliminares efectuados sostienen el uso de la escala PANAS en la población de adultos de nuestro medio.

This study investigated the perceptions of Swedish homeless people concerning their oral health and perceived consequences of dental treatment. Candid, tape-recorded interviews were conducted in a conversational style. A phenomenological-hermeneutical method was used to analyze the subjects' stories. New participants were recruited into the study, until the interviews provided no additional new information, which occurred after eight interviews. All narratives revealed expressions of loss as well as recovery in the informants' life. Both aspects highlighted the fact that homelessness equated to "loss" not only of a permanent residence but also of many values. Similarly, oral health was described and interpreted in terms of loss and recovery. During periods of drug abuse, study participants ranked oral health as a low priority and generally received only emergency dental attention. In more rehabilitative phases of life, however, they perceived oral health and dental treatment as a function to restore their human dignity and as a key to their holistic recovery of total body health.

Background Declining humoral immunity in COVID-19 patients and the possibility of reinfection have raised concern. Mucosal immunity, particularly salivary antibodies, may be short-lived although long-term studies are lacking. Methods Using a multiplex bead-based array platform, we investigated antibodies specific to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins in 256 saliva samples from convalescent patients 1-9 months after symptomatic COVID-19 (n=74, Cohort 1), undiagnosed individuals with self-reported questionnaires (n=147, Cohort 2), and individuals sampled pre-pandemic time (n= 35, Cohort 3). Results Salivary IgG antibody responses in Cohort 1 (mainly mild COVID-19) were detectable up to nine months post-recovery, with high correlations between spike and nucleocapsid specificity. At nine months, IgG remained in both blood and saliva in majority of patients. Salivary IgA was rarely detected at this timepoint. In Cohort 2, salivary IgG and IgA responses were significantly associated with a recent history of COVID-19 like symptoms. Salivary IgG also tolerated temperature and detergent pre-treatments. Conclusions Unlike SARS-CoV-2 salivary IgA that appeared short-lived, the specific IgG in saliva appeared stable even after mild COVID-19 as noted for blood serology. This non-invasive saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 antibody test with home self-collection may therefore serve as a complementary alternative to conventional blood serology.

No abstract

Background: Declining humoral immunity in COVID-19 patients and possibility of reinfections has raised concern. Mucosal immunity particularly salivary antibodies could be short-lived. However, long-term studies are sparse. Methods: Using a multiplex bead-based array platform, we investigated antibodies specific to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins in 256 saliva samples from convalescent patients 1-9 months after symptomatic COVID-19 (n=74, Cohort 1), undiagnosed individuals with self-reported questionnaires (n=147, Cohort 2), and individuals sampled pre-pandemic time (n= 35, Cohort 3). Results: Salivary IgG antibody responses in Cohort 1 (mainly mild COVID-19) were detectable up to 9 month recovery, with high correlations between spike and nucleocapsid specificity. At 9 months, IgG remained in saliva in majority as seen in blood serology. Salivary IgA was rarely detected at this timepoint. In Cohort 2, salivary IgG and IgA responses were significantly associated with recent history of COVID-19 like symptoms. Salivary IgG also tolerated temperature and detergent pre-treatments. Conclusions: Unlike SARS-CoV-2 salivary IgA that appeared short-lived, the specific IgG in saliva appears stable even after mild COVID-19 as noted for blood serology. The non-invasive saliva-based SARS-Cov-2 antibody testing with self-collection at homes may thus serve as a complementary alternative to conventional blood serology.