Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the Largest HIV-1 CRF02_AG Outbreak in Spain: Evidence for Onward Transmissions

Background and Aim: The circulating recombinant form 02_AG (CRF02_AG) is the predominant clade among the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) non-Bs with a prevalence of 5.97% (95% Confidence Interval-CI: 5.41–6.57%) across Spain. Our aim was to estimate the levels of regional clustering for CRF02_AG and the spatiotemporal characteristics of the largest CRF02_AG subepidemic in Spain.Methods: We studied 396 CRF02_AG sequences obtained from HIV-1 diagnosed patients during 2000–2014 from 10 autonomous communities of Spain. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on the 391 CRF02_AG sequences along with all globally sampled CRF02_AG sequences (N = 3,302) as references. Phylodynamic and phylogeographic analysis was performed to the largest CRF02_AG monophyletic cluster by a Bayesian method in BEAST v1.8.0 and by reconstructing ancestral states using the criterion of parsimony in Mesquite v3.4, respectively.Results: The HIV-1 CRF02_AG prevalence differed across Spanish autonomous communities we sampled from (p < 0.001). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 52.7% of the CRF02_AG sequences formed 56 monophyletic clusters, with a range of 2–79 sequences. The CRF02_AG regional dispersal differed across Spain (p = 0.003), as suggested by monophyletic clustering. For the largest monophyletic cluster (subepidemic) (N = 79), 49.4% of the clustered sequences originated from Madrid, while most sequences (51.9%) had been obtained from men having sex with men (MSM). Molecular clock analysis suggested that the origin (tMRCA) of the CRF02_AG subepidemic was in 2002 (median estimate; 95% Highest Posterior Density-HPD interval: 1999–2004). Additionally, we found significant clustering within the CRF02_AG subepidemic according to the ethnic origin.Conclusion: CRF02_AG has been introduced as a result of multiple introductions in Spain, following regional dispersal in several cases. We showed that CRF02_AG transmissions were mostly due to regional dispersal in Spain. The hot-spot for the largest CRF02_AG regional subepidemic in Spain was in Madrid associated with MSM transmission risk group. The existence of subepidemics suggest that several spillovers occurred from Madrid to other areas. CRF02_AG sequences from Hispanics were clustered in a separate subclade suggesting no linkage between the local and Hispanic subepidemics

Information strategies in a polyvalent intensive care unit [Estrategias de información en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos polivalente]

Introduction. Understanding the information provided to families and surrogates of the critically ill patients admitted to ICUs and its adequate communication without contradictions, is a fundament aspect related with the possible participation of these persons in the treatment decision making and with the quality perceived regarding the care process. Our aim in this study is to assess these two aspects (information and communication of information). Design. Opinion study elaborated by the medical team and nursing staff of a multidisciplinary ICU. Method. Observational qualitative study performed through an open answers questionnaire. Search for agreement on terminology and concepts that should be included in the information and estimation of the different contents of information provided by the main health care professional groups (physicians and nurses). Using the Delphi technique to elaborate an information communication sheet between different staff members in order to homogenize the information process. Results. The analysis of the questionnaire reveals the great heterogeneity of the contents and modes of information provided. This may cause difficulties in understanding and the integration of families and relatives in the care process. The agreement achieved among the different between physicians to facilitate the information and avoid subjective interpretations by the informed people is presented

Factors affecting sleep quality in Intensive Care Units

Objetivos Describir la calidad del sueño e identificar los factores que la afectan. Diseño Estudio observacional descriptivo y transversal realizado con una muestra de conveniencia de 129 pacientes. La diferencia entre los 3 tiempos se calculó mediante la prueba de Wilcoxon y la correlación entre variables mediante la r de Spearman. Con análisis de regresión múltiple se relacionaron las variables independientes con «calidad del sueño». Ámbito Servicio de Medicina Intensiva de un hospital terciario. Participantes Pacientes ingresados en la unidad entre febrero de 2016 y diciembre de 2017. Intervenciones Administración de un cuestionario. Variables Ítems del cuestionario Freedman modificado, variables demográficas y de episodio. Resultados Los factores que más afectaron a la calidad del sueño en los 3 tiempos de forma constante fueron el ruido y la luz. Hubo diferencias entre los 3 tiempos para los cuidados (p = 0,005) y actividades de enfermería (p = 0,019). Mediante el modelo de regresión múltiple se encontró que otros factores que influían en la calidad del sueño eran la edad (p = 0,012), la ingesta habitual de alcohol (p = 0,023), la administración de benzodiacepinas en UCI (p = 0,01) y la comorbilidad (p = 0,005). Resultaron diferencias significativas en somnolencia entre el alta y el primer día (p ≤ 0,029), y entre el alta y la mitad de la estancia (p = 0,001). Conclusiones La somnolencia disminuyó al final de la estancia. Aunque el ruido y la luz fueron los factores más molestos, solo los cuidados y actividades de enfermería resultaron significativos. La edad, la ingesta habitual de alcohol, la administración de benzodiacepinas en UCI y un mayor índice de comorbilidad interfieren negativamente en la calidad del sueño.Objective To report sleep quality and identify related factors. Design A descriptive cross-sectional study was made with a convenience sample of 129 patients. The differences between 3 periods were evaluated using the Wilcoxon test and Spearman correlation r. Multiple regression analyses were performed to relate independent variables to sleep quality. Setting The Department of Intensive Care Medicine of a tertiary hospital. Participants Patients admitted between February 2016 and December 2017. Interventions Questionnaire administration. Variables Items of the modified Freedman questionnaire, and demographic and clinical variables. Results External factors interfering with sleep quality were noise and constant light exposure in the 3 periods, with significant differences between these periods in nursing care (P=0.005) and nursing activities (P=0.019). The other factors affecting sleep quality and identified by the multivariate regression model were age (P=0.012), daily alcohol intake (P=0.023), benzodiazepine use during admission to the ICU (P=0.01) and comorbidities (P=0.005). There were significant differences in sleepiness between discharge and the first day (P≤0.029) and between discharge and half stay (P=0.001). Conclusions Noise and light were the most annoying factors, but statistical significance was only reached for nursing activities and care. Age, alcohol intake, benzodiazepine use in the ICU and a higher comorbidity index had a negative impact upon sleep. Sleepiness was reduced at the end of stay

Psychometric evaluation of the Freedman questionnaire to assess sleep in critical patients

Objetivo: Evaluar las características psicométricas del cuestionario Freedman modificado para valoración del sueño en el paciente crítico. Diseño: Estudio psicométrico. Se exploró la validez de contenido mediante grupo de expertos, la consistencia interna mediante el coeficiente alfa de Cronbach. Se realizó un análisis factorial para evaluar la validez de constructo; la estabilidad fue medida con análisis test-retest y el nivel de concordancia mediante el índice de correlación intraclases. Ámbito: Servicio de Medicina Intensiva de un hospital de referencia. Participantes: Pacientes ingresados entre el 23 de febrero de 2016 y el 20 de diciembre de 2017. Intervenciones: Administración de un cuestionario. Variables: Ítems del cuestionario Freedman modificado. Resultados: La pertinencia de los ítems y su definición obtuvieron valores superiores a 3, en una escala tipo Likert. El alfa de Cronbach indicó un valor global de 0,933. El Índice de Correlación Intraclases obtuvo valores superiores a 0,75 en la mayoría de los ítems del cuestionario. El análisis t de Student solo mostró diferencias significativas (p<0,05) en la valoración del primer día para somnolencia y calidad del sueño. Conclusiones: El cuestionario Freedman modificado presentó unas buenas características psicométricas. Puede resultar un instrumento fiable para evaluar la calidad del sueño en paciente crítico; así como los factores ambientales relacionados.Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the psychometric characteristics of the modified Freedman questionnaire to assess sleep in a critical patient. Design: A psychometric study has been conducted. The content validity was explored with a group of experts and the internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The factor analysis has been done to explore the construct validity. The stability was explored by a test-retest analysis and agreement between observers by the Intraclass Correlation Index. Setting: Intensive Medicine Service of a reference hospital. Participants: Patients admitted between February 23, 2016 and December 20, 2017. Interventions: Questionnaire administration. Variables: Items of the modified Freedman questionnaire. Results: The items’ relevance and their definition got values higher than 3 (Likert scale maximum 4). Cronbach's alpha showed a global value of 0.933. The Intraclass Correlation Index obtained values higher than 0.75 in most of the items of the questionnaire. Student's t-test showed significant differences (p <0.05) only in the assessment of the first day for drowsiness and sleep quality. Conclusions: The modified Freedman questionnaire showed good psychometric characteristics. It can be a reliable instrument to assess the quality of sleep in critically ill patients; as well as the related environmental factors

Timing of intubation and ICU mortality in COVID-19 patients: a retrospective analysis of 4198 critically ill patients during the first and second waves

Abstract Background The optimal time to intubate patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia has not been adequately determined. While the use of non-invasive respiratory support before invasive mechanical ventilation might cause patient-self-induced lung injury and worsen the prognosis, non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is frequently used to avoid intubation of patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF). We hypothesized that delayed intubation is associated with a high risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients. Methods This is a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from adult patients with ARF due to COVID-19 admitted to 73 intensive care units (ICUs) between February 2020 and March 2021. Intubation was classified according to the timing of intubation. To assess the relationship between early versus late intubation and mortality, we excluded patients with ICU length of stay (LOS) < 7 days to avoid the immortal time bias and we did a propensity score and a cox regression analysis. Results We included 4,198 patients [median age, 63 (54‒71) years; 71% male; median SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) score, 4 (3‒7); median APACHE (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) score, 13 (10‒18)], and median PaO2/FiO2 (arterial oxygen pressure/ inspired oxygen fraction), 131 (100‒190)]; intubation was considered very early in 2024 (48%) patients, early in 928 (22%), and late in 441 (10%). ICU mortality was 30% and median ICU stay was 14 (7‒28) days. Mortality was higher in the “late group” than in the “early group” (37 vs. 32%, p < 0.05). The implementation of an early intubation approach was found to be an independent protective risk factor for mortality (HR 0.6; 95%CI 0.5‒0.7). Conclusions Early intubation within the first 24 h of ICU admission in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia was found to be an independent protective risk factor of mortality. Trial registration The study was registered at Clinical-Trials.gov (NCT04948242) (01/07/2021)

Image_2_Electrophysiological effects of adipose graft transposition procedure (AGTP) on the post-myocardial infarction scar: A multimodal characterization of arrhythmogenic substrate.JPEG

ObjectiveTo assess the arrhythmic safety profile of the adipose graft transposition procedure (AGTP) and its electrophysiological effects on post-myocardial infarction (MI) scar.BackgroundMyocardial repair is a promising treatment for patients with MI. The AGTP is a cardiac reparative therapy that reduces infarct size and improves cardiac function. The impact of AGTP on arrhythmogenesis has not been addressed.MethodsMI was induced in 20 swine. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (ce-MRI), electrophysiological study (EPS), and left-ventricular endocardial high-density mapping were performed 15 days post-MI. Animals were randomized 1:1 to AGTP or sham-surgery group and monitored with ECG-Holter. Repeat EPS, endocardial mapping, and ce-MRI were performed 30 days post-intervention. Myocardial SERCA2, Connexin-43 (Cx43), Ryanodine receptor-2 (RyR2), and cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) gene and protein expression were evaluated.ResultsThe AGTP group showed a significant reduction of the total infarct scar, border zone and dense scar mass by ce-MRI (p = 0.04), and a decreased total scar and border zone area in bipolar voltage mapping (p ConclusionAGTP is a safe reparative therapy in terms of arrhythmic risk and provides additional protective effect against adverse electrophysiological remodeling in ischemic heart disease.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Electrophysiological effects of adipose graft transposition procedure (AGTP) on the post-myocardial infarction scar: A multimodal characterization of arrhythmogenic substrate.pdf

ObjectiveTo assess the arrhythmic safety profile of the adipose graft transposition procedure (AGTP) and its electrophysiological effects on post-myocardial infarction (MI) scar.BackgroundMyocardial repair is a promising treatment for patients with MI. The AGTP is a cardiac reparative therapy that reduces infarct size and improves cardiac function. The impact of AGTP on arrhythmogenesis has not been addressed.MethodsMI was induced in 20 swine. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (ce-MRI), electrophysiological study (EPS), and left-ventricular endocardial high-density mapping were performed 15 days post-MI. Animals were randomized 1:1 to AGTP or sham-surgery group and monitored with ECG-Holter. Repeat EPS, endocardial mapping, and ce-MRI were performed 30 days post-intervention. Myocardial SERCA2, Connexin-43 (Cx43), Ryanodine receptor-2 (RyR2), and cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) gene and protein expression were evaluated.ResultsThe AGTP group showed a significant reduction of the total infarct scar, border zone and dense scar mass by ce-MRI (p = 0.04), and a decreased total scar and border zone area in bipolar voltage mapping (p ConclusionAGTP is a safe reparative therapy in terms of arrhythmic risk and provides additional protective effect against adverse electrophysiological remodeling in ischemic heart disease.</p

Image_1_Electrophysiological effects of adipose graft transposition procedure (AGTP) on the post-myocardial infarction scar: A multimodal characterization of arrhythmogenic substrate.TIF

ObjectiveTo assess the arrhythmic safety profile of the adipose graft transposition procedure (AGTP) and its electrophysiological effects on post-myocardial infarction (MI) scar.BackgroundMyocardial repair is a promising treatment for patients with MI. The AGTP is a cardiac reparative therapy that reduces infarct size and improves cardiac function. The impact of AGTP on arrhythmogenesis has not been addressed.MethodsMI was induced in 20 swine. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (ce-MRI), electrophysiological study (EPS), and left-ventricular endocardial high-density mapping were performed 15 days post-MI. Animals were randomized 1:1 to AGTP or sham-surgery group and monitored with ECG-Holter. Repeat EPS, endocardial mapping, and ce-MRI were performed 30 days post-intervention. Myocardial SERCA2, Connexin-43 (Cx43), Ryanodine receptor-2 (RyR2), and cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) gene and protein expression were evaluated.ResultsThe AGTP group showed a significant reduction of the total infarct scar, border zone and dense scar mass by ce-MRI (p = 0.04), and a decreased total scar and border zone area in bipolar voltage mapping (p ConclusionAGTP is a safe reparative therapy in terms of arrhythmic risk and provides additional protective effect against adverse electrophysiological remodeling in ischemic heart disease.</p

Discovering HIV related information by means of association rules and machine learning

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is still one of the main health problems worldwide. It is therefore essential to keep making progress in improving the prognosis and quality of life of affected patients. One way to advance along this pathway is to uncover connections between other disorders associated with HIV/AIDS-so that they can be anticipated and possibly mitigated. We propose to achieve this by using Association Rules (ARs). They allow us to represent the dependencies between a number of diseases and other specific diseases. However, classical techniques systematically generate every AR meeting some minimal conditions on data frequency, hence generating a vast amount of uninteresting ARs, which need to be filtered out. The lack of manually annotated ARs has favored unsupervised filtering, even though they produce limited results. In this paper, we propose a semi-supervised system, able to identify relevant ARs among HIV-related diseases with a minimal amount of annotated training data. Our system has been able to extract a good number of relationships between HIV-related diseases that have been previously detected in the literature but are scattered and are often little known. Furthermore, a number of plausible new relationships have shown up which deserve further investigation by qualified medical experts

Impact of late presentation of HIV infection on short-, mid- and long-term mortality and causes of death in a multicenter national cohort : 2004-2013

To analyze the impact of late presentation (LP) on overall mortality and causes of death and describe LP trends and risk factors (2004-2013). Cox models and logistic regression were used to analyze data from a nation-wide cohort in Spain. LP is defined as being diagnosed when CD4 < 350 cells/ml or AIDS. Of 7165 new HIV diagnoses, 46.9% (CI:45.7-48.0) were LP, 240 patients died.First-year mortality was the highest (aHR = 10.3[CI:5.5-19.3]); between 1 and 4 years post-diagnosis, aHR = 1.9(1.2-3.0); an