Invasive aspergillosis in solid organ transplantation: Diagnostic challenges and differences in outcome in a Spanish national cohort (Diaspersot study).

Background: The diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) can be problematic in solid organ transplantation (SOT). The prognosis greatly varies according to the type of transplant, and the impact of prophylaxis is not well defined.

Patients And Methods: The Diaspersot cohort analyses the impact of IA in SOT in Spain during the last 10 years.

Antifibrotics in systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare and complex disease, involving multiple organs, with high morbidity and mortality. Fibrosis is the hallmark of SSc, although vascular and inflammatory mechanisms are also implicated in its pathogenesis. Disease management is challenging, due to its heterogeneous presentation, and to the limited number of controlled clinical trials to guide treating clinicians.

Placental growth factor testing in the management of late preterm preeclampsia without severe features: a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial.

Background: In women with late preterm preeclampsia, the optimal time for delivery remains a controversial topic, because of the fine balance between the maternal benefits from early delivery and the risks for prematurity. It remains challenging to define prognostic markers to identify women at highest risk for complications, in which case a selective, planned delivery may reduce the adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Objective: This trial aimed to determine whether using an algorithm based on the maternal levels of placental growth factor in women with late preterm preeclampsia to evaluate the best time for delivery reduced the progression to preeclampsia with severe features without increasing the adverse perinatal outcomes.

Performance Parameters in Competitive Alpine Skiing Disciplines of Slalom, Giant Slalom and Super-Giant Slalom.

The objective of this study was to describe the kinematic patterns and impacts in male and female skiers in the super-giant slalom, giant slalom and slalom disciplines of an international alpine skiing competition using a portable Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) technology device. Fifteen skiers (males, = 9, females, = 6) volunteered to participate in this study. Data acquisition was carried out using a wireless inertial measurement device (WIMUTM PRO: hybrid location system GNSS at 18 Hz with a precision locator UltraWideband UWD (<10 cm) and 3D accelerometers 1000 Hz) where distances covered in different speed and acceleration thresholds and impacts above 5g were recorded in each of the disciplines.

Validity of the Favero Assioma Duo Power Pedal System for Measuring Power Output and Cadence.

Cycling power meters enable monitoring external loads and performance changes. We aimed to determine the concurrent validity of the novel Favero Assioma Duo (FAD) pedal power meter compared with the crank-based SRM system (considered as gold standard). Thirty-three well-trained male cyclists were assessed at different power output (PO) levels (100-500 W and all-out 15-s sprints), pedaling cadences (75-100 rpm) and cycling positions (seating and standing) to compare the FAD device vs.

Gestational Age-Specific Reference Ranges for the sFlt-1/PlGF Immunoassay Ratio in Twin Pregnancies.

Objective: Establish reference ranges for the Elecsys® soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1)/placental growth factor (PlGF) immunoassay ratio in twin pregnancies.

Methods: Data analyzed were from 3 prospective studies: Prediction of Short-Term Outcome in Pregnant Women with Suspected Preeclampsia (PE) (PROGNOSIS), Study of Early-onset PE in Spain (STEPS), and a multicenter case-control study. Median, 5th, and 95th percentiles for sFlt-1, PlGF, and the sFlt-1/PlGF ratios were determined for normal twin pregnancies for 7 gestational windows and compared with the previous data for singleton pregnancies.

Traditional Versus Velocity-Based Resistance Training in Competitive Female Cyclists: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

We assessed the effects of a short-term velocity-based resistance training (VBRT, where exercise intensity is individualized based on the loads and repetitions that maximize power output) program compared with traditional resistance training (TRT, where the same number of repetitions and relative load are used for every individual) on body composition, muscle strength/power, and endurance performance in competitive female cyclists. Seventeen participants were randomly assigned to 6 weeks (two sessions/week) of TRT ( = 8) or VBRT ( = 9), during which they maintained their usual endurance program. Both interventions included squat, hip thrust, and split squat exercises.

Genomic Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Madrid, Spain, during the First Wave of the Pandemic: Fast Spread and Early Dominance by D614G Variants.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first detected in Madrid, Spain, on 25 February 2020. It increased in frequency very fast and by the end of May more than 70,000 cases had been confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). To study the lineages and the diversity of the viral population during this first epidemic wave in Madrid we sequenced 224 SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes collected from three hospitals from February to May 2020.

Tuberculosis screening after detection of a case in a paediatric haemato-oncology unit in a low prevalence country.

Background: There are no guidelines to screen haemato-oncologic children when a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak is suspected.

Methods: After exposition to an adult with active TB, children exposed from a haemato-oncology unit were screened according to immunosuppression status and time of exposure. Until an evaluation after 8-12 weeks from last exposure, isoniazid was indicated to those with negative initial work-up.

Eradication of Staphylococcus aureus Post-Sternotomy Mediastinitis Following the Implementation of Universal Preoperative Nasal Decontamination With Mupirocin: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis.

Background: Although presurgical nasal decontamination with mupirocin (NDM) has been advocated as a measure for preventing postsurgical mediastinitis (PSM) due to Staphylococcus aureus, this strategy is not universally recommended due to lack of robust supporting evidence. We aimed to evaluate the role of preoperative NDM in the annual incidence of S. aureus PSM at our institution.

Long-Term Benefits of Tailored Exercise in Severe Sarcoidosis: A Case Report.

Background: We studied the effects of a supervised, structured exercise program in a severe sarcoidosis patient.

Methods: After being clinically stable for two years, a 52-year-old woman (stage IV, American Thoracic Society) who originally had irreversible lung fibrosis, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), mild mitral insufficiency, and atrial dilatation, and was candidate for lung transplant, performed a combined high-intensity interval, high load resistance, and inspiratory muscle training for 4.5 years, and was tested (cardiopulmonary exercise testing and dual X-ray absorptiometry) every six months.

Seroprevalence analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women along the first pandemic outbreak and perinatal outcome.

Objectives: To evaluate the progression of the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in the pregnant population of the south of Madrid during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondarily we aimed to evaluate maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study conducted at Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre during weeks 10 to 19 of 2020, coinciding with the Spanish lockdown.

Cryptococcal infection in HIV-infected patients with CD4 T-cell counts under 100/μL diagnosed in a high-income country: a multicentre cohort study.

Objectives: The World Health Organization recommends routinely screening HIV-infected patients with CD4 T-cell counts <100/μL for cryptococcal infection to prevent cryptococcal meningitis (CM), based on studies in Sub-Saharan Africa where the prevalence of positive cryptococcal antigen (CrAg+) is ≥ 3% in this subgroup. Data about such prevalence in Spain are unavailable and rare in other European countries. Thus, the Spanish AIDS Study Group guidelines do not recommend routinely screening.

The nucleus acts as a ruler tailoring cell responses to spatial constraints.

The microscopic environment inside a metazoan organism is highly crowded. Whether individual cells can tailor their behavior to the limited space remains unclear. In this study, we found that cells measure the degree of spatial confinement by using their largest and stiffest organelle, the nucleus.

Time to Exhaustion at the Respiratory Compensation Point in Recreational Cyclists.

The time to exhaustion (t) at the respiratory compensation point (RCP) and whether a physiological steady state is observed at this workload remains unknown. Thus, this study analyzed t at the power output eliciting the RCP (t at RCP), the oxygen uptake (VO) response to this effort, and the influence of endurance fitness. Sixty male recreational cyclists (peak oxygen uptake [VO] 40-60 mL∙kg∙min) performed an incremental test to determine the RCP, VO, and maximal aerobic power (MAP).

Lamin A/C and the Immune System: One Intermediate Filament, Many Faces.

Nuclear envelope lamin A/C proteins are a major component of the mammalian nuclear lamina, a dense fibrous protein meshwork located in the nuclear interior. Lamin A/C proteins regulate nuclear mechanics and structure and control cellular signaling, gene transcription, epigenetic regulation, cell cycle progression, cell differentiation, and cell migration. The immune system is composed of the innate and adaptive branches.

Prevalence and Clinical Manifestations of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection in a Screening Program in Madrid (PICCSA Study).

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading cause of congenital infection worldwide. Up to 15%-20% of infected newborns will develop long-term sequelae such as hearing loss and neurologic abnormalities. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of congenital CMV infection (cCMV) and associated clinical abnormalities in Spain.

Novel Mutations Associated with OXPHOS Deficiency and Leigh Syndrome: A Second Family Report.

Leigh syndrome (LS) usually presents as an early onset mitochondrial encephalopathy characterized by bilateral symmetric lesions in the basal ganglia and cerebral stem. More than 75 genes have been associated with this condition, including genes involved in the biogenesis of mitochondrial complex I (CI). In this study, we used a next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel to identify two novel biallelic variants in the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit A13 () gene in a patient with isolated CI deficiency in skeletal muscle.

SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy: characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized and non-hospitalized women due to COVID-19.

Background: There is little evidence about how novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) affects pregnant women and their newborns. Comparisons with other members of the coronavirus family responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) have been done to predict maternal and neonatal outcomes; however, more information is required to establish clinical patterns, disease evolution and pregnancy prognosis in this group of patients.

Methods: This paper is reporting a series of 91 women diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and puerperium.

Universal screening for SARS-CoV-2 before labor admission during Covid-19 pandemic in Madrid.

Objectives Asymptomatic women admitted to labor may act as silent spreaders of COVID-19. Therefore, universal screening at admission has been proposed. The objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of universal screening for SARS-CoV-2 using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase-chain-reaction (qRT-PCR) tests in women admitted to labor.

The Need for Establishing a Universal CTG Sizing Method in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1.

The number of cytosine-thymine-guanine (CTG) repeats ('CTG expansion size') in the 3'untranslated region (UTR) region of the -protein kinase () gene is a hallmark of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), which has been related to age of disease onset and clinical severity. However, accurate determination of CTG expansion size is challenging due to its characteristic instability. We compared five different approaches (heat pulse extension polymerase chain reaction [PCR], long PCR-Southern blot [with three different primers sets-1, 2 and 3] and small pool [SP]-PCR) to estimate CTG expansion size in the progenitor allele as well as the most abundant CTG expansion size, in 15 patients with DM1.

Maternal type of CMV infection and sequelae in infants with congenital CMV: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital infection. Intrauterine transmission may occur following primary (PI) or non-primary (NPI) maternal infection and result in both neonatal symptomaticdisease and long-term complications.The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was the qualitative and quantitative comparison of neonatal symptomatic disease and long-term sequelae of congenitally CMV infected children born following maternal PI or NPI.