Association Between Oxidative Potential of Particulate Matter Collected by Personal Samplers and Systemic Inflammation Among Asthmatic and Non-Asthmatic Adults.

With the rationale that the oxidative potential of particulate matter (PM-OP) may induce oxidative stress and inflammation, we conducted the ASTHMA-FENOP study in which 44 asthmatic patients and 37 matched controls wore a personal sampler for 24 h, allowing the collection of fine and coarse PM fractions separately, to determine PM-OP by the dithiothreitol (DTT) and ascorbic acid (AA) methods. The levels of Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and the IL-6/IL-10 ratio, as indicators of pro- and anti-inflammatory statuses, were determined by calculating the mean differences (MDs), odds ratios (ORs) and p-trends adjusted for sex, age, study level and body mass index. Positive associations for IL-6 levels in the form of adjusted MDs and ORs were obtained for all PM-OP metrics, reaching statistical significance for both OP-DTT and OP-AA in the fine fraction, with adjusted OR = 5.

Long-Term Patient Symptoms and Quality of Life in Adults After COVID-19: A Real Life Study.

Objective: To characterize long-term patient-reported symptoms and quality of life, in adults after COVID-19.

Material And Methods: Cross-sectional study in Cantabria (Northern Spain) including adults with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection ( = 694) with a time period between 4.7 and 24 month post-SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, and their close contacts ( = 663) (PCR negative and without suspected infection) obtained from simple random sampling of a total of 47,773 cases and 94,301 close contacts.

Adherence to inhaled corticosteroids in patients with asthma prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The electronic prescription refill rate (EPRR) of 183 consecutive patients was determined over a 19-month retrospective study period, divided into 7 months PRE (Sep-19 to Mar-20) and 12 months POST pandemic (Apr-20 to Mar-21), in order to compare adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in patients with asthma prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic (PRE), an average of 0.58 inhalers/month were refill from the pharmacy; [SD 0.

[Comparison of adherence as assessed by the Test of Adherence to Inhalers and Pharmacy Refill Records, in Asthma Patients. REFARMA study].

Introduction: Clinical guidelines recommend the combined use of "self-completed questionnaires such as the Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI)" and the pharmacy refill rate (PRR) to determine adherence, but evidence based on comparative studies to support these recommendations is limited. Our objective was to determine adherence to inhalers in asthmatic patients, using the TAI and the PRR, as well as the correlation and concordance between both methods.

Methods: Multicentre cross-sectional study including the first 196 consecutive adult asthmatic patients, of whom 183 were on maintenance treatment with Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS).

Adherence to Pro-Vegetarian Food Patterns and Risk of Oesophagus, Stomach, and Pancreas Cancers: A Multi Case-Control Study (The PANESOES Study).

We aimed to evaluate the association between three previously defined pro-vegetarian (PVG) food patterns and the cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, and pancreas in a multi case-control study. We analyzed data from a multi-case hospital-based study carried out in two Mediterranean provinces in Spain. A total of 1233 participants were included in the analyses: 778 incident cancer cases, histologically confirmed (199 oesophagus, 414 stomach, and 165 pancreas) and 455 controls.

Transcultural adaptation of the revised caregiving appraisal scale (RCAS) in the Spanish population.

Aim: To develop a transcultural adaptation of the Revised Caregiving Appraisal Scale among Spanish caregivers of dependent older people and to test the psychometric properties of the scale.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: The Revised Caregiving Appraisal Scale was transculturally adapted to the Spanish population following the methodology of direct and back translation.

Evolution of Mitochondrially Derived Peptides Humanin and MOTSc, and Changes in Insulin Sensitivity during Early Gestation in Women with and without Gestational Diabetes.

Our purpose is to study the evolution of mitochondrially derived peptides (MDPs) and their relationship with changes in insulin sensitivity from the early stages of pregnancy in a cohort of pregnant women with and without gestational diabetes (GDM). MDPs (humanin and MOTSc) were assessed in the first and second trimesters of gestation in 28 pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and a subgroup of 45 pregnant women without GDM matched by BMI, age, previous gestations, and time of sampling. Insulin resistance (IR) was defined as a HOMA-IR index ≥70th percentile.

SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in indoor and outdoor size-segregated aerosol samples.

We aimed to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in indoor and outdoor size-segregated aerosol samples (PM, PM). Five outdoor daily samples were collected between November and December 2020 in an urban/industrial area with relatively high PM levels (Maliaño, Santander, Spain) by using a PM impactor (air flowrate of 30 L/min). In a non-hospital indoor sampling surveillance context, 8 samples in classrooms and 6 samples in the central library-Paraninfo of the University of Cantabria (UC) were collected between April and June 2021 by using personal PM samplers (air flowrate of 3 L/min).

Estimating changes in air pollutant levels due to COVID-19 lockdown measures based on a business-as-usual prediction scenario using data mining models: A case-study for urban traffic sites in Spain.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments declared severe restrictions throughout 2020, presenting an unprecedented scenario of reduced anthropogenic emissions of air pollutants derived mainly from traffic sources. To analyze the effect of these restrictions derived from COVID-19 pandemic on air quality levels, relative changes in NO, NO, O, PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were calculated at urban traffic sites in the most populated Spanish cities over different periods with distinct restrictions in 2020.

Poorer cognitive function and environmental airborne Mn exposure determined by biomonitoring and personal environmental monitors in a healthy adult population.

Background/aim: In the Santander Bay (Cantabria, northern Spain), a ferromanganese alloy plant is located. Our objective was to characterize the Mn personal exposure of adult healthy volunteers living in this highly Mn exposed region, and to determine its association with a poorer cognitive function.

Methods: Cross-sectional study analyzing 130 consecutive participants.

Meteorological Normalisation Using Boosted Regression Trees to Estimate the Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Air Quality Levels.

The global COVID-19 pandemic that began in late December 2019 led to unprecedented lockdowns worldwide, providing a unique opportunity to investigate in detail the impacts of restricted anthropogenic emissions on air quality. A wide range of strategies and approaches exist to achieve this. In this paper, we use the "deweather" R package, based on Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) models, first to remove the influences of meteorology and emission trend patterns from NO, NO, PM and O data series, and then to calculate the relative changes in air pollutant levels in 2020 with respect to the previous seven years (2013-2019).

Biomonitoring and bioaccessibility of environmental airborne manganese in relation to motor function in a healthy adult population.

Background/aim: Santander, the capital of Cantabria, Spain (172,000 inhabitants) is 7 km from an industrial emission source (IES) of Mn located in a 10,000 inhabitants town (Maliaño) (annual air Mn arithmetic mean = 231.8 ng/m; reference WHO guideline = 150 ng/m). Our objective was to compare the motor function of adult healthy volunteers living in both places.

Isolation of Candida auris in large hospitals in the Autonomous Community of Valencia; population-based study (2013-2017).

Background: Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant and highly virulent yeast that spreads easily among patients.

Aims: To describe the characteristics of candidemia caused by C. auris in the southeast of Spain (Autonomous Community of Valencia - ACV) through a 5-year population-based study.

Impact of Environmental Airborne Manganese Exposure on Cognitive and Motor Functions in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background/objective: Whether environmental exposure to Manganese (Mn) in adults is associated with poorer results in cognitive and motor function is unclear. We aimed to determine these associations through a meta-analysis of published studies.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify epidemiological studies on a population ≥18 years old exposed to environmental airborne Mn, and in which results on specific tests to evaluate cognitive or motor functions were reported.

Occupational Exposure to Pesticides and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia in the MCC-Spain Study.

We aimed to study the association between occupational exposure to pesticides and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in Spain. Occupational exposure to pesticides (four insecticides, four herbicides and two fungicides) was evaluated using a job-exposure matrix for the Spanish population (MatEmESp) among 302 CLL cases and 1567 population controls in five regions of Spain, 2010-2013. Cumulative exposure scores (CES) were obtained by summing across the exposed jobs the product of prevalence, intensity and duration of exposure to each active substance.

A Review on the Environmental Exposure to Airborne Manganese, Biomonitoring, and Neurological/Neuropsychological Outcomes.

The occupational exposure to airborne manganese (Mn) has been linked for decades with neurological effects. With respect to its environmental exposure, the first reviews on this matter stated that the risk posed to human health by this kind of exposure was still unknown. Later, many studies have been developed to analyze the association between environmental Mn exposure and health effects, most of them including the measure of Mn in selected human biomarkers.

Association between advanced maternal age and maternal and neonatal morbidity: A cross-sectional study on a Spanish population.

Background And Objective: Over recent decades, a progressive increase in the maternal age at childbirth has been observed in developed countries, posing a health risk for both women and infants. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between advanced maternal age (AMA) and maternal and neonatal morbidity.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional study of 3,315 births was conducted in the north of Spain in 2014.

Sputum Microbiome Dynamics in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients during an Exacerbation Event and Post-Stabilization.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects up to 65 million people worldwide, and COPD exacerbation causes tissue damage and subsequent loss of lung function. It is a multifactorial event in which respiratory infections are involved, but little is known about its dynamics.

Objectives: The objective of our study was to determine the microbiome composition during an exacerbation event and post-stabilization.

Impact of Active Video Games on Body Mass Index in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Evaluating the Quality of Primary Studies.

Objective: To study the impact of active video games on Body Mass Index (BMI) in children and adolescents.

Design And Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Data were pooled in meta-analysis using the method of random effects or fixed effects, as appropriate, after examination of statistical heterogeneity.