Teleworking for Medical Reasons: Evidence From a Spanish Multinational Company.

Objectives: The aim of the study is to describe the most common medical grounds for requesting or extending teleworking and to examine which requests are typically approved. This study also investigates whether there is a correlation with gender, age, or job location.

Methods: A prevalence study of 33,190 Spanish employees found that, last year, 106 teleworking requests were addressed exclusively for medical reasons.

Occupational injuries in workers of a Spanish bank.

Background: In 2017, 69 108 work-related traffic injuries with medical leave were documented, constituting 12% of all occupational injuries (OI) in Spain.

Aims: The aim of this study was to describe OI within a Spanish bank company during 2017.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the company's mandatory OI records, presenting data in both absolute (n) and relative (%) frequencies.

Longitudinal effects of FTO gene polymorphism on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, inflammatory markers, and cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents. "The UP & DOWN study".

The role of polymorphism rs9939609 of the FTO gene has been related with fat mass and cardiovascular risk in adults, but it remains unclear in children and adolescents. Hence, the main aim of this study was to determine the FTO polymorphism effects on body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), physical activity (PA), inflammatory markers, and cardiovascular risk both in cross-sectional analysis and after two-years of follow-up in children and adolescents. A total of 2129 participants were included in this study.

Impact of the FTO Gene Variation on Appetite and Fat Oxidation in Young Adults.

The FTO rs9939609 gene, which presents three polymorphisms (AA, AT, and TT), has been associated with the development of obesity through an increased fat accumulation; however, the associations of the gene with other physiological mechanisms, such as appetite or fat oxidation, are still unclear. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the influence of the FTO rs9939609 gene on different obesity-related factors in young adults. The FTO rs9939609 polymorphism was genotyped in 73 participants (28 women, 22.

Susceptibility to hepatitis B virus infection in adults living in Spain.

Background: A protective hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine has been available for four decades. Universal HBV vaccination of infants is recommended by the WHO since the 1990s. Furthermore, HBV immunization is advised for all adults with high-risk behaviours and no seroprotection.

The unexpected high prevalence of HBV subgenotype D4 in patients with chronic hepatitis B in Galicia, a northwestern Spanish region, reflects strong links with Latin America.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) comprises 9 genotypes and multiple subgenotypes that depict differences in geographic distribution, clinical outcome and response to antiviral therapy. However, the molecular epidemiology of HBV geno/subgenotypes is globally scarce. In Spain, HBV genotype D seems to be more prevalent in the northwestern regions compared to the rest of the country for unclear reasons.

Hepatitis C hospitalizations in Spain and impact of new curative antiviral therapies.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is major cause of decompensated cirrhosis and liver cancer. The advent of curative new antiviral therapies since year 2015 has dramatically improved the prognosis of HCV patients. The real-life clinical benefits at country level of these therapies have not yet been assessed.

Gut microbiota and voluntary alcohol consumption.

Alcohol is part of the usual diet of millions of individuals worldwide. However, not all individuals who drink alcohol experience the same effects, nor will everyone develop an alcohol use disorder. Here we propose that the intestinal microbiota (IMB) helps explain the different consumption patterns of alcohol among individuals.

Trends in hospitalizations and deaths in HIV-infected patients in Spain over two decades.

Background: The prognosis of HIV infection dramatically improved after the introduction of triple antiretroviral therapy 25 years ago. Herein, we report the impact of further improvements in HIV management since then, looking at all hospitalizations in persons with HIV (PWH) in Spain.

Methods: A retrospective study using the Spanish National Registry of Hospital Discharges.

Third wave of COVID-19 in Madrid, Spain.

A third wave of COVID-19 occurred after Christmas 2020 in Madrid, one of the European pandemic epicenters. We noticed 6 major differential features to previous waves. First, household contacts were a large proportion of cases.

Main differences between the first and second waves of COVID-19 in Madrid, Spain.

Background: The emergence and rapid global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) represents a major challenge to health services, and has disrupted social and economic activities worldwide. In Spain, the first pandemic wave started in mid-March 2020 and lasted for 3 months, requiring home confinement and strict lockdown. Following relaxation of the measures during the summer, a second wave commenced in mid-September 2020 and extended until Christmas 2020.

Occult hepatitis B and HIV infection.

Introduction: Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, so-called occult B infection (OBI), is defined by the recognition of HBV-DNA in the absence of serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The HBV-DNA genome in OBI is fully replication competent and produced in the liver, characteristically with low-level HBV-DNA fluctuations in the bloodstream. The OBI status remains between chronic (HBsAg +) and resolved (anti-HBs +) phases in the natural history of HBV infection.

Adult-onset hypothyroidism increases ethanol consumption.

Rationale: Only in Europe it can be estimated that more than 20 million of people would be affected by hypothyroidism in some moment of their life. Given that ethanol consumption is so frequent, it would be reasonable to ask what the consequences of ethanol consumption in those individuals affected by hypothyroidism are.

Objectives: To study the interaction between hypothyroidism and ethanol consumption.

Association of HTR2A-1438G/A Genetic Polymorphism With Smoking and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Introduction: Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Serotonin levels have been associated with COPD and smoking has been as a significant modulator. Elevated levels of serotonin are responsible for bronchoconstriction and pulmonary vasoconstriction and also nicotine dependence, thus serotonin response could be affected by genetic polymorphisms in transporters and receptors of serotonin.

Red Bull® energy drink increases consumption of higher concentrations of alcohol.

Mixing alcohol with caffeinated energy drinks is a common practice, especially among young people. In humans, the research on this issue has mainly focused on the use of the mass-marketed energy drinks themselves, whereas in animal models, it has focused on the individual effects of their active ingredients (i.e.

Telomere Length in Elite Athletes.

Unlabelled: Growing evidence suggests that regular moderate-intensity physical activity is associated with an attenuation of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) shortening. However, more controversy exists regarding higher exercise loads such as those imposed by elite-sport participation.

Methods: The authors investigated LTL differences between young elite athletes (n = 61, 54% men, age [mean ± SD] 27.

Effect of Genetic Polymorphisms and Long-Term Tobacco Exposure on the Risk of Breast Cancer.

Introduction: Tobacco smoke contains many potentially harmful compounds that may act differently and at different stages in breast cancer development. The focus of this work was to assess the possible role of cigarette smoking (status, dose, duration or age at initiation) and polymorphisms in genes coding for enzymes involved in tobacco carcinogen metabolism (, ) or in DNA repair (, , and ) in breast cancer development.

Methods: We designed a case control study with 297 patients, 217 histologically verified breast cancers (141 smokers and 76 non-smokers) and 80 healthy smokers in a cohort of Spanish women.

A Paradox: α-Klotho Levels and Smoking Intensity.

Reports regarding smoking differences in α-klotho expression have provided conflicting results. In the current study we focused on the influence of smoking intensity to serum levels of the aging molecule α-klotho in healthy smokers. 40 middle aged healthy smokers without airway obstruction or restriction were selected for the analysis.

Are SNP-Smoking Association Studies Needed in Controls? DNA Repair Gene Polymorphisms and Smoking Intensity.

Variations in tobacco-related cancers, incidence and prevalence reflect differences in tobacco consumption in addition to genetic factors. Besides, genes related to lung cancer risk could be related to smoking behavior. Polymorphisms altering DNA repair capacity may lead to synergistic effects with tobacco carcinogen-induced lung cancer risk.

Effects of cigarette smoking and nicotine metabolite ratio on leukocyte telomere length.

Studies of the effects of smoking on leukocyte telomere length (LTL) using cigarettes smoked per day or pack years smoked (PYS) present limitations. Reported high levels of smoking may not increase toxin exposure levels proportionally. Nicotine metabolism ratio (NMR) predicts total cigarette puff volume and overall exposure based on total N-nitrosamines, is highly reproducible and independent of time since the last cigarette.

The Effect of Polymorphisms in DNA Repair Genes and Carcinogen Metabolizers on Leukocyte Telomere Length: A Cohort of Healthy Spanish Smokers.

Introduction: Smoking implies exposure to carcinogenic agents that causes DNA damage, which could be suspected to enhance telomere attrition. To protect and deal with DNA damage, cells possess mechanisms that repair and neutralize harmful substances. Polymorphisms altering DNA repair capacity or carcinogen metabolism may lead to synergistic effects with tobacco carcinogen-induced shorter telomere length independently of cancer interaction.

[Occupational semicircular lipoatrophy associated with serum adipokine abnormalities].

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between semicircular lipoatrophy (SL), inflammation marker (high sensibility C-reactive protein [hs-CRP]), adipokines (leptine, chemerine and vaspine) and autoimmune markers (rheumatoid factor [RF], C3 and C4 complement fractions, antinuclear antibodies [ANA], HLA DR3, and DR4). Chemerine is an adipokine, but also is an immunity marker.

Methods: A case-control study was performed in May 2013; 21 cases were included.