Residential radon and lung cancer characteristics at diagnosis.

Purpose: This study sought to ascertain whether there might be an association between radon concentrations and age, gender, histologic type, and tumor stage at diagnosis.

Materials And Methods: Lung cancer cases from different multicenter case-control studies were analyzed, and clinical data were retrieved from electronic health records and personal interviews. A radon device was placed in all dwellings of participants, and we then tested the existence of an association between residential radon and lung cancer characteristics at diagnosis.

Mortality-related factors in patients with OXA-48 carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia.

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales constitute a serious public health threat; however, information on the oxacilinasa (OXA-48)-type is limited. The objective of the study was to evaluate the risk factors associated with 14-day mortality for patients with bacteremia due to OXA-48 carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.We conducted a retrospective, single-center observational study of adult patients with K.

Residential Radon and Small Cell Lung Cancer. Final Results of the Small Cell Study.

Introduction: Residential radon is considered the second cause of lung cancer and the first in never smokers. Nevertheless, there is little information regarding the association between elevated radon levels and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We aimed to assess the effect of residential radon exposure on the risk of SCLC in general population through a multicentric case-control study.

Evaluation of the implantation of transpedicular screws in spinal instrumentation with free-hand technique and navigation-assisted with intraoperative computed tomography: An analytical-positional study.

Background: Spinal instrumentation using transpedicular screws has been used for decades to stabilize the spine. In October 2018, an intraoperative CT system was acquired in the Neurosurgery service of the University Hospital Complex of Vigo, this being the first model of these characteristics in the Spanish Public Health System, so we began a study from January 2015 to December 2019 to assess the precision of the transpedicular screws implanted with this system compared with a control group performed with the classical technique and final fluoroscopic control.

Methods: The study was carried out in patients who required transpedicular instrumentation surgery, in total 655 screws were placed, 339 using the free-hand technique (Group A) and 316 assisted with intraoperative CT navigation (Group B) (p>0.

Small-cell lung cancer in never-smokers.

Background: Lung cancer is a public health problem worldwide. Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive histologic type, with a 5-year survival <10%. SCLC is closely associated with tobacco consumption and infrequent in never-smokers.

Calcineurin and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: The Rationale for Using Calcineurin Inhibitors in the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a broad spectrum of clinical presentations that can affect almost all organ systems. Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe complication that affects approximately half of the systemic erythematosus lupus (SLE) patients, which significantly increases the morbidity and the mortality risk. LN is characterized by the accumulation of immune complexes, ultimately leading to renal failure.

Indoor Radon Exposure and COPD, Synergic Association? A Multicentric, Hospital-Based Case-Control Study in a Radon-Prone Area.

Background: COPD is a multifactorial disease which causes considerable mortality and morbidity worldwide. Previous studies assessing the possible relationship between indoor radon exposure and COPD have shown inconclusive results.

Methods: A multicentric, hospital-based, case-control study was conducted in a Spanish radon-prone area.

Angiopoietin-2 Promotes Inflammatory Activation in Monocytes of Systemic Sclerosis Patients.

Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), a ligand of the tyrosine kinase receptor Tie2, is essential for vascular development and blood vessel stability and is also involved in monocyte activation. Here, we examined the role of Ang-2 on monocyte activation in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Ang-2 levels were measured in serum and skin of healthy controls (HCs) and SSc patients by ELISA and array profiling, respectively.

The FXII c.-4T>C Polymorphism as a Disease Modifier in Patients With Hereditary Angioedema Due to the FXII p.Thr328Lys Variant.

Background: Hereditary angioedema due to the Thr328Lys variant in the coagulation factor XII (HAE-FXII) affects mainly women in whom the symptomatology is dependent on high estrogen levels. Clinical variability and incomplete penetrance are challenging features that hinder the diagnosis and management of HAE-FXII. The c.

Tisseel® versus Hemopatch® for dural sealing in neurosurgery. A prospective study in a tertiary center.

Background: Dural repair is a potential source of complications in neurosurgery. We make a comparison in pseudomeningocele and CSF leak incidence with the sealants Tisseel® and Hemopatch®.

Methods: We collected 147 patients from September 2017 to December 2018 in a prospective observational study.

Blocking IL-17: A Promising Strategy in the Treatment of Systemic Rheumatic Diseases.

Systemic rheumatic diseases are a heterogeneous group of autoimmune disorders that affect the connective tissue, characterized by the involvement of multiple organs, leading to disability, organ failure and premature mortality. Despite the advances in recent years, the therapeutic options for these diseases are still limited and some patients do not respond to the current treatments. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a cytokine essential in the defense against extracellular bacteria and fungi.

Leukocyte Associated Immunoglobulin Like Receptor 1 Regulation and Function on Monocytes and Dendritic Cells During Inflammation.

Inhibitory receptors are crucial immune regulators and are essential to prevent exacerbated responses, thus contributing to immune homeostasis. Leukocyte associated immunoglobulin like receptor 1 (LAIR-1) is an immune inhibitory receptor which has collagen and collagen domain containing proteins as ligands. LAIR-1 is broadly expressed on immune cells and has a large availability of ligands in both circulation and tissues, implicating a need for tight regulation of this interaction.

Semaphorin4A-Plexin D1 Axis Induces Th2 and Th17 While Represses Th1 Skewing in an Autocrine Manner.

Semaphorin (Sema)4A is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is elevated in several autoimmune diseases such as systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Sema4A has a key role in the regulation of Thelper Th1 and Th2 differentiation and we recently demonstrated that CD4 T cell activation induces the expression of Sema4A. However, the autocrine role of Sema4A on Th cell differentiation remains unknown.

Direct costs in patients with chronic inflammatory arthropathies on biological therapy: a real-world data study.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the direct costs for the Spanish Health System of patients with chronic inflammatory arthropathies treated with biological therapies in daily clinical practice and to establish possible factors associated with lower costs.

Methods: A descriptive, observational and retrospective study was conducted. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis who started a biological therapy between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2016 were included.

Lung cancer risk and residential radon exposure: A pooling of case-control studies in northwestern Spain.

Background: Through a pooled case-control study design, we have assessed the relationship between residential radon exposure and lung cancer risk. Other objectives of the study were to evaluate the different risk estimates for the non-small cell lung cancer histological types and to assess the effect modification of the radon exposure on lung cancer risk by tobacco consumption.

Methods: We collected individual data from various case-control studies performed in northwest Spain that investigated residential radon and lung cancer.

Biological therapy safety in chronic inflammatory arthropathy patients.

Objective: The marketing of biological therapies transformed the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. But there is still concern about patient safety and management in daily clinical practice. The aim of this study was to estimate risk factors of the adverse effects in a cohort of Spanish patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.

Early 3-month treatment with comprehensive physical therapy program restores continence in urinary incontinence patients after radical prostatectomy: A randomized controlled trial.

Aims: The objective of this study is to ascertain whether an early three-month treatment with electrotherapy and biofeedback restores continence in urinary incontinence patients after radical prostatectomy (RP).

Methods: Design: The study performed a randomized, controlled trial of parallel and open groups. Configuration: Secondary care, urology department of a university hospital complex.

Medication persistence on biological therapies prescribed for the treatment of chronic inflammatory arthropathies: a real-world data study.

Objectives: Medication persistence, defined as the duration of time from its initiation to its discontinuation, is a surrogate for treatment effectiveness. The aim of the study was to evaluate persistence and causes of biological therapy (BT) suspension in patients with chronic inflammatory arthropathies: rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.

Methods: Single institution, descriptive, retrospective cohort study.

Cost analysis of the management of brain metastases in patients with advanced ALK+ NSCLC: alectinib versus crizotinib.

Aim: To estimate management cost of NSCLC ALK+ patients with and without brain metastasis (BM), and to compare annual costs in patients treated with alectinib or crizotinib.

Methods: Management cost/year (€ 2018) in patients with and without BM was estimated with disaggregated resource consumption provided by local oncologists, including medical visits, hospitalizations, diagnostic/laboratory tests, imaging techniques and surgical procedures. The comparison of costs/year with alectinib and crizotinib, considered the cumulative 12-month incidence of BM in ALEX trial (9.

Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology of Haemorrhoids.

Background: Haemorrhoidal Disease (HD) is a frequent anal disorder and one of the most common findings identified at the colorectal clinic. This article aims to provide an overview of the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of haemorrhoids and haemorrhoidal disease.

Introduction: Internal haemorrhoids are vascular cushions located in the anal canal, above the dentate line and covered by columnar epithelium.

Sustained Stable Disease with Capecitabine plus Bevacizumab in Metastatic Appendiceal Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report.

In a patient who had been diagnosed in 2006 with appendiceal adenocarcinoma with peritoneal metastases after an incomplete surgery, palliative chemotherapy was administered. First-line treatment with 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) and second-line treatment including 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus panitumumab showed inefficiency in controlling disease progression. Third-line chemotherapy combining capecitabine plus bevacizumab was started, achieving good control of the tumour growth and a minor response in the second computed tomography scan.

Social and clinical predictors of short- and long-term readmission after a severe exacerbation of copd.

Introduction And Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive ability of multiple social, and clinical factors for readmission after a severe acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) during various time periods.

Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study in which recruited patients with AECOPD. We systematically collected numerous clinical (symptoms, pulmonary function, comorbidities, and treatment) and social (financial situation, housing situation, family support, caregiver overload, ability to perform activities, and risk of social exclusion) variables using several questionnaires and indices.