Increased medication utilization precedes incidentally diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease: a multicenter, case-control study.

This study investigates whether subclinical inflammation in asymptomatic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients leads to increased medication use. In a multicenter, retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with incidental ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease during colorectal cancer screening (2010-2021), medication use was compared with symptomatic patients and healthy non-IBD controls. Asymptomatic patients showed a higher use of cardiovascular, antiparasitic, musculoskeletal, respiratory, and sensory organ medications up to five years before diagnosis.

Clinical control in COPD and therapeutic implications: The EPOCONSUL audit.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate clinical control in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the consequences in terms of treatment decisions, and their potentially associated factors during follow-up of patients in real-life clinical practice.

Methods: EPOCONSUL 2021 is a cross-sectional audit that evaluated the outpatient care provided to patients with a diagnosis of COPD in respiratory clinics in Spain and multivariable logistic regression models to assess the relationships between clinical control and clinical inertia.

Results: 4225 patients from 45 hospitals in Spain were audited.

Biomarkers.

Background: The human brain integrity relies on the synergistic interplay between neural activity and supporting vascular and metabolic processes throughout life. This relationship, ruled by allostatic mechanisms, regulates brain architecture and activity. White matter hyperintensities (WMH) serve as indicators of the vascular impact on brain structure.

Biomarkers.

Background: Dementia, encompassing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), poses a substantial public health challenge in Latin America. Barriers such as a shortage of healthcare professionals, limited medical accessibility, and underdiagnosis contribute to the complexity. While biomarkers aligned with the ATN framework (Amyloid, Tau, Neurodegeneration) have revolutionized diagnosis, their cost limits adoption in Latin America.

Public Health.

Background: During the pandemic, Social Isolation (SI) and the perception of loneliness emerged as critical factors associated with significant psychological and physical impacts (Tyrrell, C. & Williams, N., 2020; González, D.

Inflammatory bowel disease vs strongyloidiasis.

We report the case of a 38-year-old woman with a 10-year history of ulcerative proctosigmoiditis. Two months after traveling to Morocco, she developed gastrointestinal symptoms accompanied by eosinophilia in blood tests. Four months later, she progressed to systemic illness with pulmonary involvement.

Jaundice as the onset of paracoccidioidomycosis.

We report the case of a 24-year-old man from Brazil presenting with jaundice and epigastric pain. Abdominal CT and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) revealed a mass in the pancreatic-duodenal groove, intrahepatic duct dilation, and lymphadenopathy, initially suggestive of lymphoproliferative syndrome. However, cytopathological analysis of EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) of the lymph nodes confirmed paracoccidioidomycosis.

Public Health.

Background: Approximately 40% of global dementia cases are associated with 12 modifiable risk factors (less education, hearing loss, hypertension, obesity, smoking, depression, social isolation, physical inactivity, diabetes, alcohol excess, air pollution, and traumatic brain injury). However, the number of people with these risk factors differs between populations. Latin American countries differ in socioeconomic and geographic aspects and, therefore, risk factors prevalence.

Public Health.

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) are among the main modifiable risk factors for dementia in Latin America (LA). Therefore, improving cardiovascular health (CVH) is one of the main objectives of the LatAm-FINGERS trial, the largest non-pharmacological (lifestyle improvement) randomized trial in LA. But, to fully comprehend CVH it is necessary to explore its relation with the social determinants of health (SDH), that are closely associated with lifestyle.

Biomarkers.

Background: Predicting Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) using polygenic risk scores (PRS) for late-onset forms holds promise, but its accuracy might be influenced by social determinants of health (SDOH). This study explores how considering SDOH alongside genes can improve prediction, focusing on potential differences for each disease.

Methods: Employing logistic regression in 677 individuals (287 AD, 102 FTD, and 288 controls) aged 40-80 from the ReDLat study across six Latin American countries, we investigated the potential for SDOH to modify the association between PRS and susceptibility to AD and FTD.

Developing Topics.

Background: Network neuropsychology is an emergent field dedicated to analyzing cognitive functions as interconnected systems. Although previous studies have explored cognitive network reorganization across the Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum using comprehensive neuropsychological batteries, these approaches often overlook the potential of single screening tests used in routine clinical practice. This study innovatively applies graphical models to data from isolated neurocognitive tests, specifically the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog), to construct cognitive networks.

Developing Topics.

Background: Late-life depression (LLD) is a risk factor for cognitive impairment. Some studies have shown an association between higher amyloid-beta (Aβ) burden, a known marker of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), and LLD, but research findings are mixed. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the Aβ burden between cognitively unimpaired subjects with and without LLD.

Differences in association between hypoalbuminaemia and mortality among younger versus older patients on haemodialysis.

Background: Ageing often affects biomarker production. Yet, clinical/optimal thresholds to guide clinical decisions do not consider this. Serum albumin decreases with age, but hypoalbuminaemia is defined as serum albumin <4.

Real-world effectiveness and safety of second- or third-line pegylated liposomal irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in Spain.

Treatment with pegylated nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI) plus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (folinic acid; 5-FU/LV) has demonstrated remarkable efficacy for metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in clinical trials. However, real-world data on the effectiveness of nal-IRI+5-FU/LV is heterogeneous and is lacking in Spain. To assess the effectiveness and safety of nal-IRI+5-FU/LV in real-life PDAC patients in Spain.

First Palmar Intermetacarpal Flap for Congenital First Web Contracture: A Case Series.

Background: Pediatric first web space contractures of the hand can lead to disability in hand function. Several techniques have been proposed for treating this condition. Recently, a new technique involving the first palmar cutaneous flap was described in a cadaveric study.

Machine Learning Algorithms in Controlled Donation After Circulatory Death Under Normothermic Regional Perfusion: A Graft Survival Prediction Model.

Background: Several scores have been developed to stratify the risk of graft loss in controlled donation after circulatory death (cDCD). However, their performance is unsatisfactory in the Spanish population, where most cDCD livers are recovered using normothermic regional perfusion (NRP). Consequently, we explored the role of different machine learning-based classifiers as predictive models for graft survival.

Disease activity in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy according to time since diagnosis and positivity to antisynthetase autoantibodies: data from the Myo-Spain registry.

Objective: To evaluate the main outcomes of disease activity and their association with other measures of activity, damage, and quality of life in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) according to time since diagnosis and positivity to antisynthetase autoantibodies (ASAs).

Methods: Cross-sectional multicenter study within the Spanish Myo-Spain registry. Cases were classified as incident (≤ 12 months since diagnosis) and prevalent.

Exploring the role of splicing in TP53 variant pathogenicity through predictions and minigene assays.

Background: TP53 variant classification benefits from the availability of large-scale functional data for missense variants generated using cDNA-based assays. However, absence of comprehensive splicing assay data for TP53 confounds the classification of the subset of predicted missense and synonymous variants that are also predicted to alter splicing. Our study aimed to generate and apply splicing assay data for a prioritised group of 59 TP53 predicted missense or synonymous variants that are also predicted to affect splicing by either SpliceAI or MaxEntScan.

Functional evaluation and clinical classification of BRCA2 variants.

Germline BRCA2 loss-of function variants, which can be identified through clinical genetic testing, predispose to several cancers. However, variants of uncertain significance limit the clinical utility of test results. Thus, there is a need for functional characterization and clinical classification of all BRCA2 variants to facilitate the clinical management of individuals with these variants.

Employment Status and HIV Viral Load in Chilean Adult Population: A Propensity Score Analysis.

We set out to investigate the potential impact of unemployment on HIV viral load in individuals living with HIV at the biggest HIV-related healthcare centre in Chile. We analysed a cross-sectional dataset of 803 adults living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy. The main exposure was employment status.

Efficacy outcomes of CDK4/6 inhibitors in combination with endocrine therapy treatment in hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer according to PAM50 intrinsic subtype: Primary results of SOLTI-1801 CDK-PREDICT study.

Introduction: The prognostic value of PAM50 intrinsic subtypes (IS), cell cycle, and immune-related gene expression in HR+ /HER2- advanced breast cancer (BC) treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) and endocrine therapy (ET) in a first-line metastatic setting is unclear. This study evaluates these biomarkers in metastatic biopsies from patients diagnosed with HR+ /HER2- advanced BC.

Methods: CDK-PREDICT study is a multicentric, ambispective observational cohort study conducted in six Spanish hospitals.

First pass effect in patients with large core infarcts undergoing mechanical thrombectomy: subgroup analysis of the prospective international ASSIST registry.

Background: Studies have described a first pass effect (FPE) where patients with successful recanalization after one pass experience better outcomes. Few studies have evaluated this in patients with large core infarctions.

Objective: To determine whether patients with large core infarcts undergoing mechanical thrombectomy in which first pass reperfusion is achieved experience improved outcomes compared with those who undergo more than one pass.

Influenza vaccine outcomes: a meta-analysis revealing morbidity benefits amid low infection prevention.

Background: The morbidity and mortality associated with influenza viruses are a significant public health challenge. Annual vaccination against circulating influenza strains reduces hospitalisations and increases survival rates but requires a yearly redesign of vaccines against prevalent subtypes. The complex genetics of influenza viruses with high antigenic drift create an ongoing challenge in vaccine development to address dynamic influenza epidemiology.