Comparative study between two European inception cohorts of patients with early systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: To compare the main characteristics of two inception cohorts (Italian [ITC] and Spanish [SPC]) cohorts of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at the time of diagnosis and at one year of follow-up.

Methods: Demographic, clinical and immunological characteristics, and treatments at SLE diagnosis and at 12 months of follow-up of ITC and SPC were compared.

Results: One hundred and sixty-four patients in the ITC and 231 patients in the SPC were compared.

Response-adapted treatment with rituximab, bendamustine, mitoxantrone, and dexamethasone followed by rituximab maintenance in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma after first-line immunochemotherapy: Results of the RBMDGELTAMO08 phase II trial.

Background: Consensus is lacking regarding the optimal salvage therapy for patients with follicular lymphoma who relapse after or are refractory to immunochemotherapy.

Methods: This phase II trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of response-adapted therapy with rituximab, bendamustine, mitoxantrone, and dexamethasone (RBMD) in follicular lymphoma patients who relapsed after or were refractory to first-line immunochemotherapy. Sixty patients received three treatment cycles, and depending on their response received an additional one (complete/unconfirmed complete response) or three (partial response) cycles.

Pazopanib as Second-line Antiangiogenic Treatment in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma After Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI) Failure: A Phase 2 Trial Exploring Immune-related Biomarkers for Testing in the Post-immunotherapy/TKI Era.

Pazopanib is an oral angiogenesis tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) recommended in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) for treatment-naïve patients or those experiencing cytokine failure. We conducted a phase 2, open-label, single-arm study in ten Spanish centres among mRCC patients whose disease progressed on first-line TKI. Patients received pazopanib until disease progression, death, or unacceptable toxicity.

[Nutritional management of advanced dementia: summary of recommendations of the SENPE Ethic Group].

This paper from the ethics Working Group presents a summary of the recommendations of the nutritional management of patients with advanced dementia.

Association of Dietary Vitamin K1 Intake With the Incidence of Cataract Surgery in an Adult Mediterranean Population: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Cataract, one of the most frequent causes of blindness in developed countries, is strongly associated with aging. The exact mechanisms underlying cataract formation are still unclear, but growing evidence suggests a potential role of inflammatory and oxidative processes. Therefore, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory factors of the diet, such as vitamin K1, could play a protective role.

Mineral metabolism disorders, vertebral fractures and aortic calcifications in stable kidney transplant recipients: The role of gender (EMITRAL study).

Background And Objectives: The relationship between mineral metabolism disorders, bone fractures and vascular calcifications in kidney transplant recipients has not been established.

Method: We performed a cross-sectional study in 727 stable recipients from 28 Spanish transplant clinics. Mineral metabolism parameters, the semi-quantification of vertebral fractures and abdominal aortic calcifications were determined centrally.

Multicenter study of epidemiological cutoff values and detection of resistance in Candida spp. to anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafungin using the Sensititre YeastOne colorimetric method.

Neither breakpoints (BPs) nor epidemiological cutoff values (ECVs) have been established for Candida spp. with anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafungin when using the Sensititre YeastOne (SYO) broth dilution colorimetric method. In addition, reference caspofungin MICs have so far proven to be unreliable.

Nutrition-related risk indexes and long-term mortality in noncritically ill inpatients who receive total parenteral nutrition (prospective multicenter study).

Background: Malnutrition in hospitalized patients is associated with an increased risk of death, in both the short and the long term.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine which nutrition-related risk index predicts long-term mortality better (three years) in patients who receive total parenteral nutrition (TPN).

Methods: This prospective, multicenter study involved noncritically ill patients who were prescribed TPN during hospitalization.

Effect of a Mediterranean Diet Intervention on Dietary Glycemic Load and Dietary Glycemic Index: The PREDIMED Study.

Objective. To compare the one year effect of two dietary interventions with MeDiet on GL and GI in the PREDIMED trial. Methods.

Clinical, genetic, and therapeutic diversity in 2 patients with severe mevalonate kinase deficiency.

Mevalonic aciduria (MA) represents the severest form of mevalonate kinase deficiency due to recessively inherited, loss-of-function MVK mutations. MA is an early-onset disorder characterized by a marked failure to thrive, diverse neurologic symptoms, dysmorphic features, and recurrent febrile episodes. However, significant clinical differences have been reported in the few cases published to date.

Effect of co-inheritance of β-thalassemia and hemochromatosis mutations on iron overload.

Co-inheritance of mutations in the HFE gene underlying hereditary hemocromatosis (HH) may play a role in the variability of iron status in patients with β-thalassemia (β-thal) minor. Different studies have yielded conflicting results: some suggest iron overload might arise from the interaction of the β-thal trait with homozygosity or even heterozygosity for HFE mutations and others that it was unrelated to the HFE genotype. Because of the high frequency of HFE mutations in the Balearic Islands, where the β-thal trait is also moderately common, it is of interest to evaluate the effect of the co-inheritance of mutations in both genes on the severity of iron loading.

[Meduloblastoma: infrequent onset in local recurrence].

INTRODUCTION. Meduloblastoma is high potential to recur and spread tumour. CASE REPORT.

Pneumonia complicating pandemic (H1N1) 2009: risk factors, clinical features, and outcomes.

We performed an observational analysis of a prospective cohort of adults hospitalized for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 at 13 Spanish hospitals, from June to November 2009, to determine the risk factors, clinical features, and outcomes of pneumonia. Of 585 patients requiring hospitalization, chest radiography was obtained in 542. A total of 234 (43.

[Protective measures against cerebral ischemia following subarachnoid hemorrhage: Part 1].

Background And Objectives: Cerebral vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality. Many studies on the various treatments aimed at preventing cerebral vasospasm have been carried out, but evidence of efficacy is limited. Our aim was to review the literature on the various therapies for which there is scientific evidence of protection against cerebral vasospasm following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

[Detection of therapeutic non-compliance and pharmaceutical intervention in institutionalised geriatric patients].

Objective: To detect and analyse therapeutic non-compliance in the institutionalised elderly patient who self-administer their own treatment in a geriatric residence. To assess the pharmaceutical intervention with a useful tool to detect non-compliance.

Material And Methods: An observational study on a population of 386 residents.

Congenital plaque-type glomuvenous malformation associated with chylous ascites.

Congenital plaque-type glomuvenous malformation (GVM) is caused by loss of function mutations in glomulin gene. We report a newborn with this rare vascular disorder associated with chylous ascites. The common mesenchymal origin of GVM and lymphatic vessels as well as the glomulin expression in vascular smooth muscle cells in utero could help explain this unusual prenatal complication of glomuvenous malformations.

[Mid-term survival of patients undergoing major cardiac surgery].

Introduction And Objectives: Evaluating patient outcomes following cardiac surgery is a means of measuring the quality of that surgery. The present study analyzes survival and the risk factors associated with mid-term mortality of patients undergoing cardiac surgery in Son Dureta University Hospital (Palma, Balearic Islands, Spain).

Methods: From November 2002 thru December 2007, 1938 patients underwent interventions.

Variability in activity and results from drug assessments by pharmacy and therapeutics committees in Spanish hospitals.

Objective: To quantify the Spanish Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees (P&TC) activity with regard to assessing and selecting drugs and describing variability in decisions made to include them.

Method: Descriptive, cross-sectional study based on a questionnaire aimed to 513 hospitals with more than 75 beds. We included questions referring to the P&TC resolutions, the therapeutic positioning and assessment reports.

CO2 response and duration of weaning from mechanical ventilation.

Background: The CO2 response test measures the hypercapnic drive response (which is defined as the ratio of the change in airway-occlusion pressure 0.1 s after the start of inspiratory flow [ΔP(0.1)] to the change in P(aCO2) [ΔP(aCO2)]), and the hypercapnic ventilatory response (which is defined as the ratio of the change in minute volume to ΔP(aCO2)).

[Prudent use of antibiotics and suggestions for improvement from community and hospital pharmacy].

Appropriate use of antibiotics requires an interdisciplinary approach in which hospital and community pharmacies play a key role. The activities carried out in hospital pharmacy can be divided into 3 stages: a) before prescription: through the selection of antimicrobial agents, the creation of guides on prophylaxis and empirical treatments, and incorporation of the decisions into computer programmes that provide detailed electronic prescriptions; b) during prescription: prescription assessment, dose adjustment, patient information and infection data, preparation of doses to be used, pharmacokinetic adjustments and monitoring of treatment duration, and c) after treatment: clinical audits and measurements of the use of antibiotics. In community pharmacy, activities include promoting patient compliance, pharmacotherapeutic follow-up of patients to prevent and detect drug-related problems and avoidance of over-the-counter drug dispensation.

Molecular mechanisms of inflammation during exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Introduction: Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are characterised by an inflammatory and systemic response that persists for some time after their clinical resolution. The mechanisms of this inflammatory process are not well known.

Objectives: To explore the inflammatory changes and possible mechanisms during COPD exacerbation.

[Recommendations for management of patients with lung disease planning a flight or high altitude travel].

Every year a large number of children travel by plane and/or to places with high altitudes. Most of these journeys occur without incident. Immigration and recent socioeconomic changes have also increased the number of patients with cardiopulmonary disease who travel.

[Implication of radiological pattern in the prognosis of oligodendroglial tumors: correlation with genetic profile].

Introduction: 1p19q loss of heterozygosity (LOH1p19q) in oligodendroglial tumors has shown to be prognostic of prolonged survival and predictive of therapeutic responsiveness. During the last years, research is actively being directed to the discovery of radiological characteristics related to LOH1p19q. AIMS.