General practitioners' deprescribing decisions in older adults with polypharmacy: a case vignette study in 31 countries.

Background: General practitioners (GPs) should regularly review patients' medications and, if necessary, deprescribe, as inappropriate polypharmacy may harm patients' health. However, deprescribing can be challenging for physicians. This study investigates GPs' deprescribing decisions in 31 countries.

Patient Characteristics and General Practitioners' Advice to Stop Statins in Oldest-Old Patients: a Survey Study Across 30 Countries.

Background: Statins are widely used to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD). With advancing age, the risks of statins might outweigh the potential benefits. It is unclear which factors influence general practitioners' (GPs) advice to stop statins in oldest-old patients.

Self-care for common colds: A European multicenter survey on the role of subjective discomfort and knowledge about the self-limited course - The COCO study.

Introduction: Common colds are the most frequently encountered disease worldwide and the most frequent reason for self-care. According to the cross-sectional European Common Colds study (COCO), patients use as many as 12 items on average for self-care. Little is known about the influence of discomfort and knowledge on self-care for common colds.

Burden of cardiovascular disease across 29 countries and GPs' decision to treat hypertension in oldest-old.

Objectives: We previously found large variations in general practitioner (GP) hypertension treatment probability in oldest-old (>80 years) between countries. We wanted to explore whether differences in country-specific cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden and life expectancy could explain the differences.

Design: This is a survey study using case-vignettes of oldest-old patients with different comorbidities and blood pressure levels.

Variation in GP decisions on antihypertensive treatment in oldest-old and frail individuals across 29 countries.

Background: In oldest-old patients (>80), few trials showed efficacy of treating hypertension and they included mostly the healthiest elderly. The resulting lack of knowledge has led to inconsistent guidelines, mainly based on systolic blood pressure (SBP), cardiovascular disease (CVD) but not on frailty despite the high prevalence in oldest-old. This may lead to variation how General Practitioners (GPs) treat hypertension.

External validation of multidimensional prognostic indices (ADO, BODEx and DOSE) in a primary care international cohort (PROEPOC/COPD cohort).

Background: Due to the heterogeneous and systemic nature of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the new guidelines are oriented toward individualized attention. Multidimensional scales could facilitate its proper clinical and prognostic assessment, but not all of them were validated in an international primary care cohort, different from the original ones used for model development. Therefore, our main aim is to assess the prognostic capacity of the ADO, BODEx and DOSE indices in primary care for predicting mortality in COPD patients and to validate the models obtained in subgroups of patients, classified by revised Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (2011) and updated Spanish Guideline (2014).

Self-Care for Common Colds by Primary Care Patients: A European Multicenter Survey on the Prevalence and Patterns of Practices-The COCO Study.

Patients use self-care to relieve symptoms of common colds, yet little is known about the prevalence and patterns across Europe. In a cross-sectional study 27 primary care practices from 14 countries distributed 120 questionnaires to consecutive patients (≥18 years, any reason for consultation). A 27-item questionnaire asked for patients' self-care for their last common cold.

Two Pregnancies with a Different Outcome in a Patient with Alport Syndrome.

Background: Alport syndrome is a genetic disease that progresses to chronic kidney failure, with X-linked, autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive type of inheritance. Women are generally carriers of the mutation and have a milder form of the disease. During pregnancy, they have an increased risk of impaired kidney function and preeclampsia.

Pheochromocytoma and Neurofibromatosis Type 1 in a Patient with Hypertension.

Background: Neurofibromatosis type 1 is an autosomal dominant condition that has a variety of clinical manifestations. Essential or secondary hypertension may be associated with neurofibromatosis. A rare finding is hypertension due to pheochromocytoma in patient with neurofibromatosis type 1.

Self-Care Practices for Common Colds by Primary Care Patients: Study Protocol of a European Multicenter Survey-The COCO Study.

Background. Self-care for common colds is frequent, yet little is known about the spectrum, regional differences, and potential risks of self-care practices in patients from various European regions. Methods/Design.

[Association of moderate alcohol intake, blood pressure regulation and renal function].

Aim: to determine differences in regulation of blood pressure and renal function in patients with moderate intake of alcohol (1-14 units per week).

Material And Methods: Cross-section study performed at the Department of Nephrology. Seventy-six patients admitted for diagnosis and treatment of hypertension were included.

Decreased nitric oxide in women with essential hypertension in prehypertensive phase.

Aim: To determine the concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) in plasma of women with essential hypertension in prehypertensive phase, its effect on blood pressure, and correlation with other vasoactive substances that regulate systemic and renal vascular tonus.

Methods: The study performed at the Department of Nephrology, Hospital Center in Skopje, Macedonia, included 26 women with essential hypertension in prehypertensive phase and 11 normotensive women as healthy controls. Vasodilating factors NO and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1alpha) were determined in plasma.