Noninferiority of heart failure nurse titration versus heart failure cardiologist titration. ETIFIC multicenter randomized trial.

Introduction And Objectives: Beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin-II-receptor-blockers (ARB), and mineralocorticoid-receptor antagonists decrease mortality and heart failure (HF) hospitalizations in HF patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. The effect is dose-dependent. Careful titration is recommended.

Automatic Analysis of Archimedes' Spiral for Characterization of Genetic Essential Tremor Based on Shannon's Entropy and Fractal Dimension.

Among neural disorders related to movement, essential tremor has the highest prevalence; in fact, it is twenty times more common than Parkinson's disease. The drawing of the Archimedes' spiral is the gold standard test to distinguish between both pathologies. The aim of this paper is to select non-linear biomarkers based on the analysis of digital drawings.

Design of a multicentre randomized controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of dose titration by specialized nurses in patients with heart failure. ETIFIC study protocol.

Aims: Heart failure (HF) is associated with many hospital admissions and relatively high mortality, rates decreasing with administration of beta-blockers (BBs), angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. The effect is dose dependent, suboptimal doses being common in clinical practice. The 2012 European guidelines recommend close monitoring and dose titration by HF nurses.

Quercus pollen season dynamics in the Iberian peninsula: response to meteorological parameters and possible consequences of climate change.

The main characteristics of the Quercus pollination season were studied in 14 different localities of the Iberian Peninsula from 1992-2004. Results show that Quercus flowering season has tended to start earlier in recent years, probably due to the increased temperatures in the pre-flowering period, detected at study sites over the second half of the 20th century. A Growing Degree Days forecasting model was used, together with future meteorological data forecast using the Regional Climate Model developed by the Hadley Meteorological Centre, in order to determine the expected advance in the start of Quercus pollination in future years.

A new scenario for the quaternary history of European beech populations: palaeobotanical evidence and genetic consequences.

Here, palaeobotanical and genetic data for common beech (Fagus sylvatica) in Europe are used to evaluate the genetic consequences of long-term survival in refuge areas and postglacial spread. Four large datasets are presented, including over 400 fossil-pollen sites, 80 plant-macrofossil sites, and 450 and 600 modern beech populations for chloroplast and nuclear markers, respectively. The largely complementary palaeobotanical and genetic data indicate that: (i) beech survived the last glacial period in multiple refuge areas; (ii) the central European refugia were separated from the Mediterranean refugia; (iii) the Mediterranean refuges did not contribute to the colonization of central and northern Europe; (iv) some populations expanded considerably during the postglacial period, while others experienced only a limited expansion; (v) the mountain chains were not geographical barriers for beech but rather facilitated its diffusion; and (vi) the modern genetic diversity was shaped over multiple glacial-interglacial cycles.

Asthma trough to Parietaria in pediatrics.

We selected 183 patients with asthma, rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis. They responded positively to Parietaria Judaica skin prick-tests. In the first test 91 were positive.

[Hip arthrodeses for septic arthritis. Critical study].

Twenty-eight cases of septic arthritis of the hip were treated by arthrodesis and reviewed after 2 years. Fusion of the hip was obtained in only 11 cases, four of which were still draining but healed after removal of metallic devices and curettage. Five cases had an acceptable result without drainage despite incomplete fusion.

[The results of valgus osteotomy in severe osteoarthritis of the hip (author's transl)].

The authors analysed 150 consecutive cases of valgus osteotomy (Pauwels II) performed in cases of very severe osteoarthritis, and followed up for 3 to 10 years (average 6 years). The quality and the permanency of the results depend mainly on the morphology of the osteoarthritic hip. A satisfactory clinical and radiologic result is attained when the stresses in the joint have been reduced by improving the congruity of the joint surfaces using the cephalic medial osteophyte as part of these, and thus increasing the weight bearing surfaces.