Risk of Ischemic Stroke Associated With Calcium Supplements With or Without Vitamin D: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Background: There is controversy surrounding the risk of ischemic stroke associated with the use of calcium supplements either in monotherapy or in combination with vitamin D.

Methods And Results: A nested case-control study was performed with patients aged 40 to 89 years old, among whom a total of 2690 patients had a first episode of nonfatal ischemic stroke and for which 19 538 controls were randomly selected from the source population and frequency-matched with cases for age, sex, and calendar year. Logistic regression provided the odds ratios while adjusting for confounding factors.

Understanding inconsistency in the results from observational pharmacoepidemiological studies: the case of antidepressant use and risk of hip/femur fractures.

Purpose: Results from observational studies on the same exposure-outcome association may be inconsistent because of variations in methodological factors, clinical factors or health care systems. We evaluated the consistency of results assessing the association between antidepressant use and the risk of hip/femur fractures in three European primary care databases using two different study designs.

Methods: Cohort and nested case control studies were conducted in three European primary care databases (Spanish BIFAP, Dutch Mondriaan and UK THIN) to assess the association between use of antidepressants and hip/femur fracture.

[Clinical-Epidemiological Profile of Patients Initiating Intensive Statin Therapy for the Secondary Prevention of Vascular Disease in Spain].

Background: The new recommendations regarding the utilization of high potency statins (intensive therapy) for the treatment of cardiovascular disease have been based on the extrapolation of data coming from clinical trials. The objective is to describe the clinical-epidemiological profile of statin therapy users for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in Spain and to examine the predictors for intensive therapy initiation.

Methods: Cross-sectional study from a sample of 88,751 patients aged ≥45 years-old with previous cardiovascular disease which initiated statin therapy between 1st January 2007 to 31st December 2011.

Allopurinol use and risk of non-fatal acute myocardial infarction.

Objectives: To quantify the risk of non-fatal acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among users of allopurinol.

Methods: We carried out a population-based case-control study over the period 2001-2007 in patients aged 40-90 years. Patients who had prescriptions of allopurinol or an episode of AMI before the start date of follow-up were excluded from the main analysis.

Trends in the surgical procedures of women with incident breast cancer in Catalonia, Spain, over a 7-year period (2005-2011).

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer in women, accounting for 28% of all tumors among women in Catalonia (Spain). Mastectomy has been replaced over time by breast-conserving surgery (BCS) although not as rapidly as might be expected. The aim of this study was to assess the evolution of surgical procedures in incident BC cases in Catalonia between 2005 and 2011, and to analyze variations based on patient and hospital characteristics.

Risk of nonfatal acute myocardial infarction associated with non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, non-narcotic analgesics and other drugs used in osteoarthritis: a nested case-control study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate the risk of nonfatal acute myocardial infarction (AMI) associated with traditional NSAIDs (tNSAIDs), non-narcotic analgesics (paracetamol and metamizole), and symptomatic slow-acting drugs in osteoarthritis (SYSADOAs) overall and in different subgroups of patients.

Methods: We performed a nested case-control study using a Primary Care Database (Base de datos para la Investigación Farmacoepidemiológica en Atención Primaria), over the study period, 2001-2007. We included patients aged 40-90 years, with nonfatal AMI and randomly selected controls matched for age, sex and calendar year.

Sunitinib administered prior to radiotherapy in patients with non-resectable glioblastoma: results of a phase II study.

Sunitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor with direct anti-tumor and anti-angiogenesis activity targeting VEGFR 1-2, PDGFR α-β, c-kit, bFGF, (CSF-1), FLT3 and RET. The present trial examined the activity of sunitinib in 12 patients with newly diagnosed, non-resectable glioblastoma. Patients (≤75 years of age with performance status [PS] ≥2 and minimental status [MMS] ≥25) were treated post-biopsy with sunitinib 37.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding associated with NSAIDs, other drugs and interactions: a nested case-control study in a new general practice database.

Aim: To test the ability a new Spanish primary care research database (BIFAP) to capture the association between upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and NSAIDs and other drugs and compare the results with previous studies.

Methods: We performed a nested case-control study in persons aged 40-90 years old included in the period 2001-2005. Potential cases were selected through a computer search followed by an individual blinded review.

Bevacizumab plus irinotecan in recurrent malignant glioma shows high overall survival in a multicenter retrospective pooled series of the Spanish Neuro-Oncology Research Group (GEINO).

There is no 'standard of care' for recurrent malignant glioma (MG). Our aim is to confirm the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab 10 mg/kg plus irinotecan 125 mg/m² (or 340 mg/m² if enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs) every 2 weeks for a maximum of 1 year in a retrospective pooled series of patients with recurrent MG. The inclusion criteria were as follows: age 18 years and above, histology of MG, progression after radiation and temozolomide, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) of at least 60, and signed informed consent for bevacizumab compassionate use.