Economic estimation and impact of air pollution and temperature extremes on emergency hospital admissions in Spain.

Air pollution and extreme temperatures are important public health problems but their effects on morbidity are not usually measured jointly. The objective was thus to analyse the effect of short-term exposure to both air pollution and to heat and cold waves on emergency hospital admissions at a provincial level, and estimate the economic cost. Time series study analysing emergency hospital admissions due to natural causes (ICD-9:1-799 and ICD-10: A00-R99) across the period 2013-2018.

Breast radiotherapy planning: A decision-making framework using deep learning.

Background: Effective breast cancer treatment planning requires balancing tumor control while minimizing radiation exposure to healthy tissues. Choosing between intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) remains pivotal, influenced by patient anatomy and dosimetric constraints.

Purpose: This study aims to develop a decision-making framework utilizing deep learning to predict dose distributions, aiding in the selection of optimal treatment techniques.

Bisphosphonate drug holidays in osteoporosis according to fracture risk profile.

Unlabelled: We analyzed the incidence of fractures and changes in bone mineral density and bone turnover markers in 264 patients who discontinued bisphosphonates. Fractures were recorded in 12.3%.

BRIVA-ONE study: 12-month outcomes of brivaracetam monotherapy in clinical practice.

Objective: This study investigated the effectiveness and tolerability of brivaracetam (BRV) monotherapy in a large series of patients with epilepsy.

Method: This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational, non-interventional study in 24 hospitals across Spain. Patients aged ≥18 years who started on BRV monotherapy, either as first-line or following conversion, at least 1 year before database closure were included.

Comparing temporal changes and predictors of different types of mental health and socio-emotional wellbeing outcomes during COVID-19: an overlapping panel study of Spanish residents.

Objectives: Few panel studies have investigated how different types of mental health (MH) and socio-emotional wellbeing (SEW) outcomes have changed during the pandemic and if their burden has been equally distributed at the population-level. We aimed to examine temporal changes in these outcomes and their socio-ecological predictors using panel data.

Study Design: Longitudinal population-based survey with overlapping panels.

Air pollution and children's mental health in rural areas: compositional spatio-temporal model.

Air pollution stands as an environmental risk to child mental health, with proven relationships hitherto observed only in urban areas. Understanding the impact of pollution in rural settings is equally crucial. The novelty of this article lies in the study of the relationship between air pollution and behavioural and developmental disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, and eating disorders in children below 15 living in a rural area.

Impacts of COVID-19 on clinical indicators and mortality in patients with chronic conditions in Catalonia, Spain: A retrospective population-based cohort study.

Background: The reallocation of health care services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted the continuity of primary care. This study examines the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical indicators within the Catalan population, emphasising individuals with chronic conditions. It provides insights into mortality and transfer rates considering intersectional perspectives.

Should patients with exceptional longevity be treated for osteoporosis after a hip fracture?

Background: There are no studies focusing on treatment for osteoporosis in patients with exceptional longevity after suffering a hip fracture.

Objective: To assess the advisability of initiating treatment for osteoporosis after a hip fracture according to the incidence of new fragility fractures after discharge, risk factors for mortality and long-term survival.

Design: Retrospective review.

Spatiotemporal variability in socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 vaccination in Catalonia, Spain.

Objectives: Socioeconomic inequalities have played a significant role in the unequal coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the socioeconomic inequalities in COVID-19 vaccination coverage in Catalonia, Spain; (2) analyse the spatial variation over time of these inequalities; and (3) assess variations in time and space in the effect of vaccination on inequalities in COVID-19 outcomes.

Study Design: A mixed longitudinal ecological study design was used.

Indoor falls and number of previous falls are independent risk factors for long-term mortality after a hip fracture.

Background: Hip fractures are almost always the result of a fall. Causes and circumstances of falls may differ between frail and vigorous patients.

Aim: To describe the circumstances of falls causing hip fractures, number of falls during the previous year, and their association with long-term mortality.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Socioeconomic Inequalities in Mortality in Spanish Provinces.

Background: Although many studies have assessed the socioeconomic inequalities caused by COVID-19 in several health outcomes, there are numerous issues that have been poorly addressed. For instance, have socioeconomic inequalities in mortality from COVID-19 increased? What impact has the pandemic had on inequalities in specific causes of mortality other than COVID-19? Are the inequalities in COVID-19 mortality different from other causes? In this paper we have attempted to answer these questions for the case of Spain.

Methods: We used a mixed longitudinal ecological design in which we observed mortality from 2005 to 2020 in the 54 provinces into which Spain is divided.

Impact of therapeutic and low volume plasma exchange on clinical laboratory parameters in patients treated for Alzheimer's disease from the AMBAR study.

Introduction: Little is known about the impact of plasma exchange (PE) on clinical laboratory parameters in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.

Methods: AD patients in the AMBAR trial (N = 322) received weekly therapeutic PE (TPE) for 6 weeks followed by monthly low-volume PE (LVPE) for12 months. Treatment were placebo (sham PE), low-albumin, low-albumin + IVIG (i.

Fine-resolution global maps of root biomass carbon colonized by arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungi.

Despite the recognized importance of mycorrhizal associations in ecosystem functioning, the actual abundance patterns of mycorrhizal fungi belowground are still unknown. This information is key for better quantification of mycorrhizal impacts on ecosystem processes and for incorporating mycorrhizal pathways into global biogeochemical models. Here we present the first high-resolution maps of fine root stocks colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi (MgC ha-1).

Short-term effects of air pollution and noise on emergency hospital admissions in Madrid and economic assessment.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to study the effect of air pollution and noise has on the population in Madrid Community (MAR) in the period 2013-2018, and its economic impact.

Methods: Time series study analysing emergency hospital admissions in the MAR due to all causes (ICD-10: A00-R99), respiratory causes (ICD-10: J00-J99) and circulatory causes (ICD-10: I00-I99) across the period 2013-2018. The main independent variables were mean daily PM, PM, NO, 8-h ozone concentrations, and noise.

Feasibility, safety, and tolerability of two modalities of plasma exchange with albumin replacement to treat elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease in the AMBAR study.

Background: In the Alzheimer Management by Albumin Replacement (AMBAR) study, mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients were treated with a plasma exchange (PE) program. Feasibility and safety of PE in this specific population are poorly understood and were analyzed in detail in this study.

Methods: Qualified patients were treated with 6 weeks of weekly conventional therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) with albumin replacement followed by monthly low-volume plasma exchange (LVPE) for 12 months.

Multimorbidity and chronic co-prescription networks and potential interactions in adult patients with epilepsy: MorbiNet study.

We constructed epilepsy multimorbidity networks to study associations with chronic conditions, and co-prescriptions and drug-disease networks to assess potential interactions. We conducted a population-based study in Catalonia, Spain, with electronic files of 3,135,948 adult patients with multimorbidity, 32,625 of them with epilepsy (active diagnosis any time during 2006-2017). We constructed epilepsy comorbidity networks using logistic regression models from odds ratio estimates adjusted by age, sex, and comorbidities with R software and generated trajectories to study the progression of epilepsy.

Determinants and Trends of the Use of Intravenous Thrombolysis for Minor Stroke: A Population-Based Study, 2016 to 2020.

Background: We analyzed the main factors associated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in patients with minor ischemic stroke.

Methods: Data were obtained from a prospective, government-mandated, population-based registry of stroke code patients in Catalonia (6 Comprehensive Stroke Centers, 8 Primary Stroke Centers, and 14 TeleStroke Centers). We selected patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≤5 at hospital admission from January 2016 to December 2020.

A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Preoperative Antithrombin Supplementation in Patients at Risk for Antithrombin Deficiency After Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Antithrombin (AT) activity is reduced during cardiac operations with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), which is associated with adverse outcomes. Preoperative AT supplementation, to achieve >58% and <100% AT activity, may potentially reduce postoperative morbidity and mortality in cardiac operations with CPB. This prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of preoperative treatment with AT supplementation in patients at risk for low AT activity after undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB.

Neuroimaging analyses from a randomized, controlled study to evaluate plasma exchange with albumin replacement in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease: additional results from the AMBAR study.

Purpose: This study was designed to detect structural and functional brain changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients treated with therapeutic plasma exchange (PE) with albumin replacement, as part of the recent AMBAR phase 2b/3 clinical trial.

Methods: Mild-to-moderate AD patients were randomized into four arms: three arms receiving PE with albumin (one with low-dose albumin, and two with low/high doses of albumin alternated with IVIG), and a placebo (sham PE) arm. All arms underwent 6 weeks of weekly conventional PE followed by 12 months of monthly low-volume PE.

PandemonCAT: Monitoring the COVID-19 Pandemic in Catalonia, Spain.

Background: The principal objective of this paper is to introduce an online interactive application that helps in real-time monitoring of the COVID-19 pandemic in Catalonia, Spain (PandemonCAT).

Methods: This application is designed as a collection of user-friendly dashboards using open-source R software supported by the Shiny package.

Results: PandemonCAT reports accumulated weekly updates of COVID-19 dynamics in a geospatial interactive platform for individual basic health areas (ABSs) of Catalonia.

Revisiting the Feasibility of Public Key Cryptography in Light of IIoT Communications.

Digital certificates are regarded as the most secure and scalable way of implementing authentication services in the Internet today. They are used by most popular security protocols, including Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS). The lifecycle management of digital certificates relies on centralized Certification Authority (CA)-based Public Key Infrastructures (PKIs).

Evolution of quality indicators in acute stroke during the RACECAT Trial: Impact in the general population.

Background: Acute ischemic stroke patients not referred directly to a comprehensive stroke center (CSC) have reduced access to endovascular treatment (EVT). The RACECAT trial is a population-based cluster-randomized trial, designed to compare mothership and drip-and-ship strategies in acute ischemic stroke patients outside the catchment area of a CSC.

Aims: To analyze the evolution of performance indicators in the regions that participated in RACECAT.