Immune thrombocytopenia in systemic lupus erythematosus: Prevalence, risk factors, and a novel predictive model for risk assessment.

Introduction: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a potentially severe manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) reported in 7-40% of SLE patients. ITP has been associated with a higher risk of organ damage and mortality.

Objectives: To describe which factors are associated with the presence of ITP in SLE patients.

[When personal protective equipment for health workers during COVID-19 outbreaks is missing: conclusions of the Catalan COVID-19 Workgroup].

Objectives: Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study is to ensure risk-based protection when there is a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Materials And Methods: At the beginning of the pandemic, it was suggested that PPE were necessary to protect HCWs from COVID-19.

Retrospective cross-sectional study of the evolution of the use of pharmacological opioids and heroin in a population group in the Barcelona area.

Background: Opioid dependence is causing an epidemic in the US, but unlike the 1970s it seems more related to prescription opioids than heroin.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess whether this new epidemic has already reached our environment and to see if there are changes in consumption and in the characteristics of consumers.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study.

Influence of time to admission to a comprehensive stroke centre on the outcome of patients with intracerebral haemorrhage.

Introduction: In patients with spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage, it is uncertain if diagnostic and therapeutic measures are time-sensitive on their impact on the outcome. We sought to determine the influence of the time to admission to a comprehensive stroke centre on the outcome of patients with acute intracerebral haemorrhage.

Patients And Methods: We studied a prospective database of consecutive patients with intracerebral haemorrhage attended at two comprehensive stroke centres (2005-2017).

Breast cancer, placing drug interactions in the spotlight: is polypharmacy the cause of everything?

Purpose: Breast cancer is the most prevalent and lethal cancer among women. Forty-one percent of cases occur in people ≥ 70 years, hindering their treatment given its comorbidities and polypharmacy (PP). Potential drug-drug interactions (PDDI) were analyzed in elderly breast cancer patients between daily and oncospecific treatments and their associations with Age, BMI, Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Frailty categorization, PP, and adverse effects.

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: Clinical Assessment of Rapid Progression.

Background: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) causes the development of renal cysts and leads to a decline in renal function. Limited guidance exists in clinical practice on the use of tolvaptan. A decision algorithm from the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) Working Groups of Inherited Kidney Disorders and European Renal Best Practice (WGIKD/ERBP) has been proposed to identify candidates for tolvaptan treatment; however, this algorithm has not been assessed in clinical practice.

The efficacy of computerized interventions to reduce cannabis use: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Cannabis is the most widely consumed illicit drug. Although it is too early to confirm the impact of legalization, the use of cannabis appears to be on the rise in some countries due to its authorization for medical/recreational purposes. Among different types of therapeutic approaches to reduce cannabis use, computerized interventions are becoming a new treatment option.

Intimate partner violence among female drug users admitted to the general hospital: screening and prevalence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem worldwide. Several factors have been found to be associated with an increased prevalence of IPV, such as substance use. A cross-sectional study was conducted with the aim of determining the prevalence of IPV among women entering Hospital del Mar (Barcelona) for any medical/surgical reason, and who had a diagnosis of substance use disorder.

Effect of Permanent Atrial Fibrillation on Cognitive Function in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure.

In patients with chronic heart failure (HF), cognitive impairment (CI) is associated with poorer treatment adherence and higher readmission and mortality rates. Previous studies suggest that atrial fibrillation (AF) could impair cognitive function. This study sought to assess the association between permanent AF (permAF) and CI in patients with HF.

Intonation as an encoder of speaker certainty: information and confirmation yes-no questions in Catalan.

Recent studies in the field of intonational phonology have shown that information-seeking questions can be distinguished from confirmation-seeking questions by prosodic means in a variety of languages (Armstrong, 2010, for Puerto Rican Spanish; Grice & Savino, 1997, for Bari Italian; Kügler, 2003, for Leipzig German; Mata & Santos, 2010, for European Portuguese; Vanrell, Mascaró, Prieto, & Torres-Tamarit, 2010, for Catalan). However, all these studies have relied on production experiments and little is known about the perceptual relevance of these intonational cues. This paper explores whether Majorcan Catalan listeners distinguish information- and confirmation-seeking questions by means of two distinct nuclear falling pitch accents.

Expiratory muscle endurance in middle-aged healthy subjects.

To evaluate expiratory muscle endurance in middle-aged healthy subjects using incremental as well as constant expiratory loads, 14 healthy volunteers (51 +/- 16 years) were submitted to a specific endurance test, which was performed breathing against a threshold valve, and was divided into two parts. In part I, the load was progressively increased (50 g each 2 min) until task failure occurred. The mean mouth pressure generated against the highest load held for at least 60 sec was defined as the maximal expiratory sustainable pressure (Pth(max)).

[Metabolic activity of the external intercostal muscle of patients with COPD].

Introduction: The external intercostal muscle is a relevant contributor to ventilatory work in situations of overloading. Like other respiratory muscles, the external intercostal muscle seems to undergo a process of structural remodeling to adapt to a situation of functional disadvantage. However, findings from published studies of morphology have differed to a certain degree.