Publications by authors named "J Carratala"
This study aims to develop a Machine Learning model to assess the risks faced by COVID-19 patients in a hospital setting, focusing specifically on predicting the complications leading to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission or mortality, which are minority classes compared to the majority class of discharged patients. We operate within a multiclass framework comprising three distinct classes, and address the challenge of dataset imbalance, a common source of model bias. To effectively manage this, we introduce the Multi-Thresholding meta-algorithm (MTh), an innovative output-level methodology that extends traditional thresholding from binary to multiclass classification.
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- The study aimed to evaluate whether extended infusions (EI) of β-lactam antibiotics are more effective than intermittent infusions (II) in treating febrile neutropenia, a condition common in patients receiving chemotherapy and stem cell transplants.
- In a clinical trial involving 150 patients from four Spanish hospitals, those receiving EI experienced a slightly lower success rate at day 5 compared to those on II (50.6% vs. 63.0%), although not statistically significant.
- The research concluded that routine use of EI for β-lactams in this patient group is not supported, suggesting the need for further studies to address the diverse clinical aspects of febrile neutropenia.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on hospitalized patients aged 80 and older with COVID-19 to describe their clinical symptoms and identify predictors for death and complications during different waves of the epidemic.
- A total of 1,192 patients were analyzed, revealing common symptoms like fever, cough, and dyspnea, along with serious complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome and a high overall mortality rate of 41.4%.
- Key risk factors for complications and death included age, existing health conditions (like diabetes and heart failure), specific lab findings, while better functional status (measured by the Barthel index) and the presence of cough offered some protective benefits.
Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) caused by viridans and gallolyticus group streptococci (VGS-GGS) resistant to penicillin (PEN-R; minimum inhibitory concentration ≥4 mg/L) is rare but poses therapeutic challenges.
Objectives: To describe the characteristics of patients with IE caused by PEN-R VGS-GGS, focusing on antimicrobial management.
Methods: Retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort of definite IE caused by PEN-R VGS-GGS between 2008 and 2023 in 40 Spanish hospitals.
Importance: Ambient air pollution and antimicrobial resistance pose significant global public health challenges. It is not known whether ambient air pollution is associated with increased consumption of antimicrobials.
Objective: To assess whether a short-term association exists between ambient air pollution levels and antimicrobial consumption among the general population seeking primary care consultations for acute respiratory symptoms.