Demographic and clinical profile of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients in Spain: the SEPAR National Registry

BackgroundLittle is known on the characteristics of patients diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in Spain. We aimed to characterize the demographic and clinical profile of IPF patients included in the IPF National Registry of the Spanish Respiratory Society (SEPAR).MethodsThis is a prospective, observational, multicentre and nationwide study that involved 608 IPF patients included in the SEPAR IPF Registry up to June 27th, 2017, and who received any treatment for their disease. IPF patients were predominantly males, ex-smokers, and aged in their 70s, similar to other registries.ResultsUpon inclusion, meanSD predicted forced vital capacity was 77.6%+/- 19.4, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide was 48.5%+/- 17.7, and the 6-min walk distance was 423.5m +/- 110.4. The diagnosis was mainly established on results from the high-resolution computed tomography in the proper clinical context (55.0% of patients), while 21.2% of patients required invasive procedures (surgical lung biopsy) for definitive diagnosis. Anti-fibrotic treatment was prescribed in 69.4% of cases, 51.5% pirfenidone and 17.9% nintedanib, overall with a good safety profile.Conclusions The SEPAR IPF Registry should help to further characterize current characteristics and future trends of IPF patients in Spain and compare/pool them with other registries and cohorts

Follow the Networks

On February 27, 1994, three Costa Rican engineers took an afternoon flight from San José to Managua, Nicaragua. The timing for this trip was good in more ways than one. Little by little, more than a decade of war in the region was coming to an end. The trip had a single purpose: participate in Nicaragua’s connection to the Internet. In Managua, a group of collaborators who had worked for months to establish this link awaited them. For almost three years, they had been making plans together for Nicaragua’s Internet connection through Costa Rica via an analog microwave link built in the late 60s, a decade in which the concept of Central American integration had flourished. From Costa Rica, Nicaragua would be connected to Homestead, Florida through a satellite antenna. This goal was achieved the very next day and was celebrated enthusiastically. A public event was held at the Nicaraguan university that led this initiative. After a series of training and work sessions with their Nicaraguan counterparts, the Costa Rican engineers returned to San José on March 2. Only four months later, they would repeat this process in a different setting: the new site was Panama, but the purpose and procedures were almost identical.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Centro de Investigación en Comunicación (CICOM

Geomorphic Hazards in Spain

An overview of the main geomorphic hazards in Spain is presented. For each one of the processes analysed (floods, landslides, sinkholes, and coastal hazards), a brief description of their distribution, socioeconomic effects, and main causes is given. The main lines of research undertaken in recent times on these hazards, including development of new tools or techniques, are discussed. Finally, legislation and land-use planning measures for mitigation of risks due to such processes are described