Cohort profile: the Hortega Study for the evaluation of non-traditional risk factors of cardiometabolic and other chronic diseases in a general population from Spain.

Purpose: The Hortega Study is a prospective study, which investigates novel determinants of selected chronic conditions with an emphasis on cardiovascular health in a representative sample of a general population from Spain.

Participants: In 1997, a mailed survey was sent to a random selection of public health system beneficiaries assigned to the University Hospital Rio Hortega's catchment area in Valladolid (Spain) (n=11 423, phase I), followed by a pilot examination in 1999-2000 of 495 phase I participants (phase II). In 2001-2003, the examination of 1502 individuals constituted the Hortega Study baseline examination visit (phase III, mean age 48.

Involvement of Spanish pulmonology centers in patient care, postgraduate education and research in asthma: the results of the ATENEA survey.

Unlabelled: Although asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic respiratory diseases, the participation of Spanish pulmonology units in the management of asthma may have room for improvement.

Objective: To determine the degree of involvement of the Spanish pulmonology services in the patient care, education and research related with asthma disease and especially in difficult-to-control asthma.

Methods: A survey made up of 75 questions was sent to the heads of several pulmonology departments.

Flow cytometry analysis of leukocytes in induced sputum from asthmatic patients.

Inflammatory cell counts in induced sputum from asthmatic patients partially correlate with respiratory physiology data. To identify and quantify these inflammatory components, microscopy has been useful but it is not without its limitations. Flow cytometry could be an alternative but still has underlying methodological difficulties.

Pulmonary function testing prior to reduced intensity conditioning allogeneic stem cell transplantation in an unselected patient cohort predicts posttransplantation pulmonary complications and outcome.

Pretransplant pulmonary function tests (PFTs) have been checked mostly in myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation (Allo-SCT). Their value in the setting of reduced intensity conditioning Allo-SCT (Allo-RIC) has been less explored. We retrospectively evaluated the predictive value of PFTs on posttransplant pulmonary complications (PPC) and outcomes in 195 consecutive Allo-RIC patients, based on fludarabine plus busulphan or melphalan.

Bronchial inflammation, respiratory symptoms and lung function in Primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Introduction: There is no information available regarding the relationship between the respiratory symptoms or lung function and bronchial inflammation, measured by induced sputum.

Objectives: Description of the clinical characteristics, radiographic images and lung function of patients suffering from Primary Sjögren Syndrome (PSS), and to assess the relationship with the inflammatory airway profile.

Methods: We analysed clinical, radiology, lung function tests, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and inflammatory data in the induced sputum from 36 consecutive patients with PSS.

[Inflammatory response of rapid onset asthma exacerbation].

Unlabelled: The association between onset of asthma exacerbation and the inflammatory response has not been sufficiently studied.

Objective: To determine the differential mechanisms of the rapid onset (RO) asthma exacerbation.

Methods: We designed a prospective, multicentre study that included 34 patients who suffered from asthma exacerbation.

The study of severe asthma in Latin America and Spain (1994-2004): characteristics of patients hospitalized with acute severe asthma.

Objective: Studies assessing the characteristics and management of patients hospitalized with asthma have been limited to a small number of facilities and have evaluated short time periods. The present study evaluated long-term changes among hospitalized asthma patients at a large number of facilities.

Methods: This was a retrospective, hospital-based observational case series, designated the Study of Severe Asthma in Latin America and Spain, which was conducted in Spain and in eight Latin-American countries.

[Impact of preventive treatment with long-acting beta(2)-adrenergic agonists and inhaled corticosteroids on the morbidity and mortality of severe asthma exacerbations in 1543 patients].

Background And Objectives: Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining long-acting #b(2)-adrenergic agonists (LABA) as maintenance treatment for asthma have shown surprisingly conflicting results. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact, in terms of efficacy and safety, of previous maintenance treatment on severe asthma exacerbations.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics of exacerbations experienced by 1543 patients with moderate persistent and severe persistent asthma.

[Asthma clinical practice guidelines: advantages and pitfalls].

The Clinical Practice Guidelines on asthma have contributed towards unifying concepts and reaching a consensus on performances between different professional groups. However, they have failed in the overall improvement in the management of asthma, the final objective that they are meant to achieve. Today, almost 20 years after they appeared, the majority of asthmatic patients are still inadequately controlled, partly due to lack of follow up by doctors and the rest of health care staff who have to look after them.

[Asthma and smoking: an unfortunate combination].

Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways in which a key role is played by certain cells and mediators (T-helper 2 cells, mast cells, eosinophils, interleukin 4 and 5). In certain disorders such as irritant-induced asthma, reactive airways dysfunction syndrome, and asthma due to toluene diisocyanate, inflammation is mediated predominantly by T-helper 1 cells, macrophages and neutrophils. Smoking also produces bronchial inflammation, in this case mediated primarily by macrophages and neutrophils although eosinophil predominance has also been observed in some smokers (an allergic response to certain antigens).

Relation between bone mass and catecholamines in the general population.

Background: The relation between the sympathetic nervous system and bone metabolism has been known for some time, although diverse experimental studies do not show uniformity in their evaluation of the different data. The aim of this paper is to determine the relation between urinary catecholamines, as an expression of sympathetic activity, and bone mass among the general population.

Methods: A study was made of 274 individuals (124 males and 150 females), who formed part of the Hortega cohort.

[Is the incidence of near-fatal asthma decreasing in Spain?].

Objective: A number of studies have shown that both mortality and hospital admissions due to severe asthma have decreased in recent years in many parts of the world. However, the situation is Spain has not yet been analyzed. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of very severe, near-fatal asthma in recent years in various Spanish hospitals.

[Swelling of the bronchial mucose and quickness of onset in acute asthma].

Background And Objective: The plasma protein leakage produced in the bronchial mucose of patients with acute asthma might be associated to the quickness of the onset exacerbation. The aim of this study was to study this association.

Patients And Method: 22 patients with acute asthma were recruited, and the magnitude of plasma protein leakage was measured by the concentrations of albumin and alpha2-macroglobulin in sputum.

[Chlamydophila pneumoniae seroprevalence in adults from the general population].

Background And Objective: Chlamydophila pneumoniae is an intracelular pathogen involved in the inflammatory pathogenesis of some chronic diseases with high prevalence. Infectivity is supposed to be high because the serologic patterns published are widely spread out all over the world. However, the prevalence in the Spanish adult population is unknown.

[Hemosiderin-laden macrophages count in sputum in diagnosis of dyspnea of heart origin].

Background And Objective: The respiratory or heart origin of dyspnea is not always easy to find out using the available diagnostic tools. Many patients present both heart and lung diseases that cause dyspnea. The role of hemosiderin-laden macrophages count (HC) in sputum in this context has not been well settled so far.

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide reflects pulmonary capillary leakage in patients with acute dyspnea.

Natriuretic peptides have proved useful in the diagnosis of heart failure in patients presenting to the emergency department with shortness of breath. Dyspnea and orthopnea in heart failure are clinical expressions of pulmonary capillary congestion and leakage, which may be assessed by the percentage of pulmonary hemosiderin-laden macrophages (HLM) in induced sputum. We found a significant difference in the percentage of HLM present in sputum among patients with acute heart failure, patients with noncardiac dyspnea with ventricular dysfunction, and patients without heart failure (p = 0.