Two-week, high-dose proton pump inhibitor, moxifloxacin triple Helicobacter pylori therapy after failure of standard triple or non-bismuth quadruple treatments.

Background: Aim was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a moxifloxacin-containing second-line triple regimen in patients whose previous Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment failed.

Methods: Prospective multicentre study including patients in whom a triple therapy or a non-bismuth-quadruple-therapy failed. Moxifloxacin (400mg qd), amoxicillin (1g bid), and esomeprazole (40 mg bid) were prescribed for 14 days.

Patients' Experiences of Sexual Activity Following Myocardial Ischemia.

The purpose of this article is to describe patients' experiences of sexual activity after suffering myocardial ischemia. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with people who had suffered myocardial ischemia in the last 6 to 24 months before the interview. We used maximum variation sampling method.

Hairy elbows - A case study.

A boy aged 6 years was referred to our clinic for evaluation of the presence of fair, thin hair on both of his elbows. This condition had first been observed when he was 2 years of age and the hair had subsequently increased in length and thickness (Figure 1). He had a history of asthma and was being treated by a paediatrician.

[Left ventricular mass, diastolic function and collagen metabolism biomarkers in essential hypertension].

Background And Objective: To evaluate the association between circulating biomarkers of collagen metabolism in serum, left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and diastolic dysfunction in patients with resistant hypertension.

Patients And Methods: Fifty-two patients with resistant hypertension and 24 healthy individuals were included. The following biomarkers of collagen metabolism were analyzed by ELISA: carboxy-terminal propeptide of procollagen type I (PICP) and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFβ1).

[Improvement in health care quality for patients from the thoracic/chest pain unit in a regional hospital].

Objectives: The evaluation of an improvement cycle in patients suffering thoracic/chest pain in hospital emergencies, especially in those who could benefit from the early Bruce Treadmill Test.

Material And Methods: A multidisciplinary group care protocol was designed, which identified improvement opportunities and gave priority to the fact that «an early Bruce Treadmill Test was carried out on fewer occasions than recommended». Causes were analysed (Ishikawa diagram) and six quality criteria were defined.

[Usefulness of electrocardiographic screening in a neonatal population].

Introduction: Congenital long QT syndrome is a rare disease, but is responsible for nearly 10% of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It is characterized by an abnormal prolonged QT interval in the basal electrocardiogram (ECG) with life-threatening arrhythmias which occur in previously asymptomatic patients and are preventable with an appropriate treatment.

Aims: The impact of introducing ECG-screening in newborns is studied and main ECG-measurements are described in our population.

Lemierre's syndrome and septicaemia caused solely by Arcanobacterium haemolyticum in a young immunocompetent patient.

We present a case of septicaemia caused by Arcanobacterium haemolyticum in a previously healthy 23-year-old man suffering from acute pharyngotonsillitis, who developed complicated Lemierre's syndrome. Three blood cultures (both aerobic and anaerobic) revealed the exclusive presence of A. haemolyticum.

[Gastric pneumatosis and gas in the portal venous system secondary to peptic ulcer].

A 72-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with recurrent vomiting without abdominal pain. On physical examination, the patient was afebrile and her abdomen was soft and nontender with a giant abdominal-wall hernia. Upper endoscopy showed a deep, 3-cm ulcer at the gastric angulus.

[Diagnostic value of colonoscopy indication as predictor of colorectal cancer: is it possible to design a fast track diagnosis?].

Background: Diagnostic delay in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) is a quality indicator and its reduction could improve prognosis of the disease.

Objective: To analyze the diagnostic value of different colonoscopy indications in CRC and to select the signs or symptoms that, if prioritized in a rapid diagnostic circuit, would be most efficient.

Material And Methods: A retrospective analysis of 2219 outpatients who underwent colonoscopy from 2000 to 2007 was performed.