Oral Anticoagulant Use and Appropriateness in Elderly Patients with Atrial Fibrillation in Complex Clinical Conditions: ACONVENIENCE Study.

Non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is the most common arrhythmia in older patients. Although direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are the antithrombotic treatment of choice, irrespective of age, certain factors may limit their use. The aim of the ACONVENIENCE study was to consult the opinion of a multidisciplinary panel of experts on the appropriateness of using OACs in elderly patients (>75 years) with NVAF associated with certain complex clinical conditions.

Reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the IDEAL Schedule for assessing care needs in dementia: Cross-sectional, multicenter study.

Objective: The IDEAL Schedule was developed for staging "care needs" in patients with dementia. We here aim to validate the Spanish version, further test its psychometric properties and explore a latent construct for "care needs".

Methods: A multicenter study was done in 8 dementia care facilities across Spain.

Endothelial dysfunction in aged humans is related with oxidative stress and vascular inflammation.

Vascular endothelial dysfunction occurs during the human aging process, and it is considered as a crucial event in the development of many vasculopathies. We investigated the underlying mechanisms of this process, particularly those related with oxidative stress and inflammation, in the vasculature of subjects aged 18-91 years without cardiovascular disease or risk factors. In isolated mesenteric microvessels from these subjects, an age-dependent impairment of the endothelium-dependent relaxations to bradykinin was observed.

[Validation of the functional independence scale].

Objective: To assess the psychometric quality of an instrument designed to measure functional independence (Functional Independence Scale [FIS]) in several activities of daily living domains and to be applied by trained non-health-related interviewers. The study was carried out in the autonomous region of Madrid in community-dwelling elders.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional validation study.

Effect of glycaemic control on the vascular nitric oxide system in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Objective: The mechanisms underlying the relationship between the vascular complications of diabetes and the glycaemic control are not well understood. We tested whether glycaemic control influences the functioning of the nitric oxide system in type 1 diabetic patients and the role for oxidative stress.

Methods: The changes in the forearm blood flow after the infusion in the brachial artery of NG-monomethyl-l-arginine, methacholine, methacholine plus superoxide dismutase, and nitroprusside were evaluated using strain gauge plethysmography in 14 healthy subjects and 24 patients with type 1 diabetes (12 with HbA(1c) < 7.