Hand acceleration time (HAT) as a diagnostic tool in the assessment of haemodialysis access-induced distal ischaemia (HAIDI): study protocol for a prospective cohort study in the Barcelona south metropolitan area.

Introduction: Chronic hand ischaemia may affect some haemodialysis patients with an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or graft (AVG), a condition known as haemodialysis access-induced distal ischaemia (HAIDI). Duplex ultrasonography (DUS) can provide comprehensive insights into anatomical and perfusion properties, and measuring the hand acceleration time (HAT) has been demonstrated to be sensitive within the framework of chronic upper limb ischaemia.

Methods And Analysis: This single-centre, prospective cohort study will involve adult end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients requiring either AVF or AVG for haemodialysis.

Metataxonomic and Immunological Analysis of Feces from Children with or without Phelan-McDermid Syndrome.

Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a developmental delay and autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-like behaviors. Emerging research suggests a link between gut microbiota and neuropsychiatric conditions, including PMS. This study aimed to investigate the fecal microbiota and immune profiles of children with PMS compared to healthy controls.

Toward Sustainable Adoption of Integrated Care for Prevention of Unplanned Hospitalizations: A Qualitative Analysis.

Introduction: Complex chronic patients are prone to unplanned hospitalizations leading to a high burden on healthcare systems. To date, interventions to prevent unplanned admissions show inconclusive results. We report a qualitative analysis performed into the EU initiative JADECARE (2020-2023) to design a digitally enabled integrated care program aiming at preventing unplanned hospitalizations.

Sustainable lindane waste remediation: Surfactant-driven residual DNAPL extraction and oxidation in a real landfill (LIFE SURFING).

The LIFE SURFING Project was carried out at the Bailin Landfill in Sabiñánigo, Spain (2020-2022), applying Surfactant Enhanced Aquifer Remediation (SEAR) and In Situ Chemical Oxidation (S-ISCO) in a 60-meter test cell beneath the old landfill, to remediate a contaminated aquifer with dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) from nearby lindane production. The project overcame traditional extraction limitations, successfully preventing groundwater pollution from reaching the river. In spring 2022, two SEAR interventions involved the injection of 9.

The value of admission avoidance: cost-consequence analysis of one-year activity in a consolidated service.

Background: Many advantages of hospital at home (HaH), as a modality of acute care, have been highlighted, but controversies exist regarding the cost-benefit trade-offs. The objective is to assess health outcomes and analytical costs of hospital avoidance (HaH-HA) in a consolidated service with over ten years of delivery of HaH in Barcelona (Spain).

Methods: A retrospective cost-consequence analysis of all first episodes of HaH-HA, directly admitted from the emergency room (ER) in 2017-2018, was carried out with a health system perspective.

A Practice-Proven Adaptive Case Management Approach for Innovative Health Care Services (Health Circuit): Cluster Randomized Clinical Pilot and Descriptive Observational Study.

Background: Digital health tools may facilitate the continuity of care. Enhancement of digital aid is imperative to prevent information gaps or redundancies, as well as to facilitate support of flexible care plans.

Objective: The study presents Health Circuit, an adaptive case management approach that empowers health care professionals and patients to implement personalized evidence-based interventions, thanks to dynamic communication channels and patient-centered service workflows; analyze the health care impact; and determine its usability and acceptability among health care professionals and patients.

Prevention of Unplanned Hospital Admissions in Multimorbid Patients Using Computational Modeling: Observational Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Enhanced management of multimorbidity constitutes a major clinical challenge. Multimorbidity shows well-established causal relationships with the high use of health care resources and, specifically, with unplanned hospital admissions. Enhanced patient stratification is vital for achieving effectiveness through personalized postdischarge service selection.

First report and molecular characterization of cases of natural Taylorella asinigenitalis infection in three donkey breeds in Spain.

Taylorella asinigenitalis is a non-pathogenic bacteria isolated from the genital tract of donkeys but also a cause of metritis and vaginal discharge in mares. It is closely related to Taylorella equigenitalis, the cause of Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) in horses, and has been present in different countries in Europe since 1995. Up to date, there are no studies on the prevalence of T.

Cost-accuracy and patient experience assessment of blood pressure monitoring methods to diagnose hypertension: A comparative effectiveness study.

Objectives: Studies of the diagnosis of hypertension have emphasized long-term cost-effectiveness analysis, but the patient experience and costs of blood pressure monitoring methods at the diagnosis stage remain unclear. We studied four diagnostic methods: a new 1 h-automated office blood pressure (BP) monitoring, office BP measurement, home BP monitoring, and awake-ambulatory BP monitoring.

Methods: We carried out a comparative effectiveness study of four methods of diagnosing hypertension in 500 participants with a clinical suspicion of hypertension from three primary healthcare (PHC) centers in Barcelona city (Spain).

Female reproduction and the microbiota in mammals: Where are we?

While it is generally accepted that the mammalian vagina contains a site-specific microbiota that plays relevant roles in genital and reproductive health, the existence of an extra-vaginal microbiota in the female reproductive tract (i.e. follicular fluid, oviduct, endometrium, and placenta) is, at least, a matter of controversy.

Prospective cohort study for assessment of integrated care with a triple aim approach: hospital at home as use case.

Background: Applicability of comprehensive assessment of integrated care services in real world settings is an unmet need. To this end, a Triple Aim evaluation of Hospital at Home (HaH), as use case, was done. As ancillary aim, we explored use of the approach for monitoring the impact of adoption of integrated care at health system level in Catalonia (Spain).

Modification of BRCA1-associated breast cancer risk by HMMR overexpression.

Breast cancer risk for carriers of BRCA1 pathological variants is modified by genetic factors. Genetic variation in HMMR may contribute to this effect. However, the impact of risk modifiers on cancer biology remains undetermined and the biological basis of increased risk is poorly understood.

Evidence for shared genetic risk factors between lymphangioleiomyomatosis and pulmonary function.

Introduction: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare low-grade metastasising disease characterised by cystic lung destruction. The genetic basis of LAM remains incompletely determined, and the disease cell-of-origin is uncertain. We analysed the possibility of a shared genetic basis between LAM and cancer, and LAM and pulmonary function.

A Small Non-Coding RNA Modulates Expression of Pilus-1 Type in .

is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and about 30% of the pneumococcal clinical isolates show type I pili-like structures. These long proteinaceous polymers extending from the bacterial surface are encoded by pilus islet 1 and play major roles in adhesion and host colonization. Pili expression is bistable and is controlled by the transcriptional activator RlrA.

Altered regulation of BRCA1 exon 11 splicing is associated with breast cancer risk in carriers of BRCA1 pathogenic variants.

Germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1 confer a high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. The BRCA1 exon 11 (formally exon 10) is one of the largest exons and codes for the nuclear localization signals of the corresponding gene product. This exon can be partially or entirely skipped during pre-mRNA splicing, leading to three major in-frame isoforms that are detectable in most cell types and tissue, and in normal and cancer settings.

Histamine signaling and metabolism identify potential biomarkers and therapies for lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Inhibition of mTOR is the standard of care for lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). However, this therapy has variable tolerability and some patients show progressive decline of lung function despite treatment. LAM diagnosis and monitoring can also be challenging due to the heterogeneity of symptoms and insufficiency of non-invasive tests.

Heterogeneity and Cancer-Related Features in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Cells and Tissue.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare, low-grade metastasizing disease characterized by cystic lung destruction. LAM can exhibit extensive heterogeneity at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. However, the molecular similarities and differences among LAM cells and tissue, and their connection to cancer features are not fully understood.

Immune Cell Associations with Cancer Risk.

Proper immune system function hinders cancer development, but little is known about whether genetic variants linked to cancer risk alter immune cells. Here, we report 57 cancer risk loci associated with differences in immune and/or stromal cell contents in the corresponding tissue. Predicted target genes show expression and regulatory associations with immune features.

Integrated Care Intervention Supported by a Mobile Health Tool for Patients Using Noninvasive Ventilation at Home: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Home-based noninvasive ventilation has proven cost-effective. But, adherence to therapy still constitutes a common clinical problem. We hypothesized that a behavioral intervention supported by a mobile health (mHealth) app could enhance patient self-efficacy.

Biochemical, genetic and transcriptional characterization of multibacteriocin production by the anti-pneumococcal dairy strain Streptococcus infantarius LP90.

Streptococcus pneumoniae infections are one of the major causes of morbility and mortality worldwide. Although vaccination and antibiotherapy constitute fundamental and complementary strategies against pneumococcal infections, they present some limitations including the increase in non-vaccine serotypes and the emergence of multidrug-resistances, respectively. Ribosomally-synthesized antimicrobial peptides (i.

Risk of breast cancer in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare metastasizing pulmonary disease that shares some clinical, cellular, and molecular similarities with metastatic breast cancer to lung. LAM cells have been identified circulating in various body fluids of patients and, intriguingly, diverse evidence indicates that these cells may originate from a different organ to the lung. Following on from these observations, we hypothesized the existence of a common risk basis between LAM and breast cancer, and suggested increased risk of breast cancer among LAM patients.

Evaluation of integrated care services in Catalonia: population-based and service-based real-life deployment protocols.

Background: Comprehensive assessment of integrated care deployment constitutes a major challenge to ensure quality, sustainability and transferability of both healthcare policies and services in the transition toward a coordinated service delivery scenario. To this end, the manuscript articulates four different protocols aiming at assessing large-scale implementation of integrated care, which are being developed within the umbrella of the regional project Nextcare (2016-2019), undertaken to foster innovation in technologically-supported services for chronic multimorbid patients in Catalonia (ES) (7.5 M inhabitants).

Cloning and expression of synthetic genes encoding native, hybrid- and bacteriocin-derived chimeras from mature class IIa bacteriocins, by Pichia pastoris (syn. Komagataella spp.).

In this work, synthetic genes designed from (a), the native amino acid sequence of the class IIa bacteriocins enterocin HF (EntHF) and enterocin CRL35 (EntCRL35), (b) from hybrid bacteriocins derived from fusion of enterocin A (EntA) to itself and to EntHF and EntCRL35 through a tri-glycine peptide linker, and (c) from bacteriocin-derived chimeras devised from fusion of the N-terminal region of EntA and enterocin P (EntP) to the C-terminal end of EntHF and EntCRL35, were cloned in plasmid pPICZαA for expression by P. pastoris X-33. Synthetic genes encoding EntHF and EntCRL35 were also cloned in plasmid pP-αhSUMO3 for expression of the hSUMO3-fused bacteriocins by P.

Differential metabolic activity and discovery of therapeutic targets using summarized metabolic pathway models.

In spite of the increasing availability of genomic and transcriptomic data, there is still a gap between the detection of perturbations in gene expression and the understanding of their contribution to the molecular mechanisms that ultimately account for the phenotype studied. Alterations in the metabolism are behind the initiation and progression of many diseases, including cancer. The wealth of available knowledge on metabolic processes can therefore be used to derive mechanistic models that link gene expression perturbations to changes in metabolic activity that provide relevant clues on molecular mechanisms of disease and drug modes of action (MoA).