[Economic evaluation of rituximab added to fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide versus fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia].

Objectives: We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of rituximab added to the chemotherapy regimen of fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide (R-FC) versus fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide (FC) for the treatment of patients with previously untreated or relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Methods: Two Markov models were built, using published results on progression-free survival (PFS) in patients receiving first- or second-line therapy with R-FC vs FC, rates of disease progression and mortality rates in Spain. Patient-elicited utilities were applied to PFS and progressed health states.

Hypertonic saline and reduced peroxynitrite formation in experimental pancreatitis.

Objectives: In this study, we tested the hypothesis that hypertonic saline exerts anti-inflammatory effects by modulating hepatic oxidative stress in pancreatitis.

Introduction: The incidence of hepatic injury is related to severe pancreatitis, and hypertonic saline reduces pancreatic injury and mortality in pancreatitis.

Methods: Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control (not subjected to treatment), untreated pancreatitis (NT, pancreatitis induced by a retrograde transduodenal infusion of 2.

Atrioventricular conduction disturbance characterization in transcatheter aortic valve implantation with the CoreValve prosthesis.

Background: Atrioventricular (AV) block is one of the most frequent complications of CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of CoreValve implantation on AV conduction.

Methods And Results: Electrophysiological study was performed immediately before and after CoreValve implantation in 18 consecutive, permanent pacemaker-free patients.

UASB-polishing ponds design parameters: contributions from a pilot scale study in southeast Brazil.

This paper presents the results of five years monitoring of an experimental wastewater treatment plant in southeast Brazil, comprised of a UASB reactor followed by a submerged aerated biofilter (BF) (field scale) and shallow polishing ponds (pilot scale). Three ponds in series achieved high quality effluent standards in terms of ammonia and E.coli, but a fourth pond did not result in further efficiency.

Clonal spread of levofloxacin-resistant streptococcus pneumoniae invasive isolates in Madrid, Spain, 2007 to 2009.

Among 1,349 Streptococcus pneumoniae invasive isolates, 45 (3.3%) were levofloxacin resistant. Serotype distribution was as follows: 8 (n=32 isolates), 19A (n=4 isolates), 7F (n=3 isolates), 9V (n=2 isolates), 10A (n=1 isolate), 19F (n=1 isolate), 6B (n=1 isolate), and nontypeable (n=1 isolate).

Lenalidomide is effective as salvage therapy in refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma: analysis of the Spanish Compassionate Use Registry in advanced patients.

We evaluated the clinical results of lenalidomide (Len) as a compassionate salvage therapy in refractory/relapsed multiple myeloma (MM) patients. A nationwide multi-centre, retrospective research study was performed to evaluate clinical data from patients with advanced MM for which compassionate use of lenalidomide was requested. The primary endpoints were the overall response rate (ORR) and the time to progression (TTP).

Incidence of cytomegalovirus infection and disease in patients with lymphoproliferative disorders treated with alemtuzumab.

The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and disease in patients with hematologic malignancies treated with alemtuzumab. The outcome of CMV infection in hematologic patients treated with alemtuzumab in 19 hospitals throughout Spain was assessed retrospectively. Data were collected from the medical records of patients over a period of 6 months following initiation of alemtuzumab therapy.

Laboratory-based, 2-year surveillance of pediatric parapneumonic pneumococcal empyema following heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine universal vaccination in Madrid.

Background: In October 2006, the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was included in the Madrid vaccination calendar, warranting serotype (St) surveillances in pneumococcal pediatric parapneumonic empyema (PPE).

Methods: A prospective 2-year (May 2007-April 2009) laboratory-confirmed PPE surveillance was performed in 22 hospitals. All isolates (for serotyping) and culture-negative pleural fluids were sent to the reference laboratory for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis.

Amyloidosis secondary to rheumatic diseases - 16 cases.

Introduction: Secondary amyloidosis (SA) results of tissue deposition of an acute phase reactant protein produced by chronic inflammation. Its incidence appears to be declining, following the improvement of medical care to primary diseases. Our aim is to assess a group of Portuguese patients with amyloidosis secondary to inflammatory rheumatic diseases, and their evolution over the past 10 years.

Brunner's gland hyperplasia: an unusual cause of hemorrhagic shock.

Brunner's gland hyperplasia is a very rare lesion of the duodenum, which is usually asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. It can cause gastrointestinal bleeding but hemorrhagic shock is a rare clinical presentation of Brunner's gland hyperplasia. The authors present a case of a patient with hemorrhagic shock due to a bleeding Brunner's gland hyperplasia, treated by urgent laparotomy and polypectomy.

Double trouble.

A 18-year-old boy presented for cardiological evaluation for a previous pleuritic chest pain. Physical exam was normal and ECG showed an early repolarization pattern. Transthoracic echocardiogram revealed an ondulating structure on the left side of the interatrial septum (IAS), without other abnormalities.

Relationship between serotypes, age, and clinical presentation of invasive pneumococcal disease in Madrid, Spain, after introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine into the vaccination calendar.

To assess invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) clinical presentations and relationships with age and serotype in hospitalized children (<15 years) after PCV7 implementation in Madrid, Spain, a prospective 2-year (May 2007 to April 2009) laboratory-confirmed (culture and/or PCR) IPD surveillance study was performed (22 hospitals). All isolates (for serotyping) and culture-negative pleural/cerebrospinal fluids were sent to the reference laboratory for pneumolysin (ply) and autolysin (lyt) gene PCR analysis. A total of 330 IPDs were identified: 263 (79.

Anxiolytic-like effects of standardized extract of Justicia pectoralis (SEJP) in mice: Involvement of GABA/benzodiazepine in receptor.

Justicia pectoralis (Acanthaceae) is used as an antiinflammatory, antimicrobial and bronchodilator, and its extract exerts an anxiolytic-like effect profile in animal models. This work presents the behavioral effects of an aqueous standardized extract of Justicia pectoralis (SEJP) in animal models, such as the elevated plus maze (EPM), light/dark, open field, rota rod and pentobarbital sleep time. The extract was administered intragastrically to male mice at single doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, while diazepam 1 or 2 mg/kg was used as a standard drug and flumazenil 2.

Gene expression reprogramming protects macrophage from septic-induced cell death.

Sepsis induces a systemic inflammatory response leading to tissue damage and cell death. LPS tolerance affects inflammatory response. To comprehend potential new mechanisms of immune regulation in endotoxemia, we examined macrophage mRNA expression by macroarray affected by LPS tolerance.

Paradoxical buffering of calcium by calsequestrin demonstrated for the calcium store of skeletal muscle.

Contractile activation in striated muscles requires a Ca(2+) reservoir of large capacity inside the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), presumably the protein calsequestrin. The buffering power of calsequestrin in vitro has a paradoxical dependence on [Ca(2+)] that should be valuable for function. Here, we demonstrate that this dependence is present in living cells.

Melatonin: pharmacological aspects and clinical trends.

Melatonin, N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, the major hormone produced by the pineal gland under the influence of the dark/light cycle, has been shown to have a large number of therapeutic possibilities. It has been utilized in several countries for circadian rhythm disorders, sleep disturbances, jet lag, and sleep-wake cycle disturbances in blind people, and shift workers. In our mechanism of act, the G(i) protein-coupled metabotropic melatonin receptors MT1 and MT2 are the primary mediators of the physiological actions of melatonin.

Mechanisms involved in the gastroprotective activity of esculin on acute gastric lesions in mice.

This work describes the gastroprotective actions of esculin (6,7-dihydroxycoumarin-6-o-glucoside) against indomethacin- or ethanol-induced lesions and verifies the role of nitric oxide, ATP-dependent K(+) channels, prostaglandins, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 and antioxidant effects in the gastroprotective mechanism of esculin in the ethanol-induced gastric lesion model. The intragastric administration of esculin at doses of 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg was able to protect the gastric mucosa against ethanol (0.

Anxiolytic-like effect of the monoterpene 1,4-cineole in mice.

Recent studies have shown that some monoterpenes exert anxiolytic- and depressant-like actions, however, these effects from monoterpene 1,4-cineole are still unknown. This work aimed to study the effects of 1,4-cineole in classic animal models for depression- and anxiety-like behavior, specifically the elevated plus maze (EPM), hole board, open field, pentobarbital sleeping time, forced swimming, tail suspension and rota rod tests. 1,4-Cineole was administered orally to mice (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg), while diazepam (1 or 2 mg/kg) and imipramine (10 or 30 mg/kg) were used as standard drugs.

High percentage of resistance to ciprofloxacin and qnrB19 gene identified in urinary isolates of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in Madrid, Spain.

The presence of qnr genes in 191 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli from 2005, with 75% of resistance to ciprofloxacin, was evaluated. An SHV-12-producing E. coli carried qnrB19; both genes were transferred by conjugation.

Tandem gait performance in essential tremor: clinical correlates and association with midline tremors.

Gait difficulty has been reported in essential tremor (ET) although it has been the subject of a limited number of studies. We broadly assessed these clinical correlates, including the association of gait difficulty with a variety of midline tremors (jaw, voice, neck). Tandem gait (10 steps) was assessed in 122 ET cases.

Ca sparks do not explain all ryanodine receptor-mediated SR Ca leak in mouse ventricular myocytes.

Diastolic Ca leak from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of ventricular myocytes reduces the SR Ca content, stabilizing the activity of the SR Ca release channel ryanodine receptor for the next beat. SR Ca leak has been visualized globally using whole-cell fluorescence, or locally using confocal microscopy, but never both ways. When using confocal microscopy, leak is imaged as "Ca sparks," which are fluorescent objects generated by the local reaction-diffusion of released Ca and cytosolic indicator.

Replication of the LINGO1 gene association with essential tremor in a North American population.

A marker in the LINGO1 gene, rs9652490, showing significant genome-wide association with essential tremor (ET), was recently reported in an Icelandic population. To replicate this association in an independent population from North America, we genotyped 15 SNPs in the LINGO1 gene in 257 Caucasian ET cases ('definite,' 'probable' or 'possible') and 265 controls enrolled in an epidemiological study at Columbia University. We observed a marginally significant association with allele G of the marker rs9652490 (P=0.