Uncovering the neurological effects of West Nile virus during a record-breaking southern Spain outbreak in 2020–2021

The 2020–21 West Nile Virus (WNV) outbreak in Andalusia, Spain, was the largest reported in the country, with eight cases of West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease (WNND) diagnosed in a tertiary hospital. Diagnosis of WNND is based on detecting WNV RNA, viral isolation, or demonstrating a specific immune response against the virus, with additional tests used to support the diagnosis. Treatment remains supportive, with variable outcomes. The potential efficacy of plasma exchange (PLEX) in select cases raises the possibility of an autoimmune component secondary to infectious pathology of the central nervous system. The influence of climate change on the expansion of WNV into new regions is a significant concern. It is crucial for physicians practicing in high-risk areas to be knowledgeable about the disease for early prevention and effective control measures.Peer reviewe

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Diseño e implementación de un protocolo para disminuir el tiempo de respuesta de las mesas de ayuda en la Clínica los Nogales

Se documenta el desarrollo y la implementación de un protocolo con el cual se buscó mejorar el tiempo de respuesta de los casos relacionados a equipos biomédicos y mobiliario médico, que eran radicados al área de biomédica en la Clínica los Nogales mediante la aplicación "Mesa de ayuda". Para esto se realizó una clasificación por prioridad de cada caso, adicionalmente, a cada prioridad se le asignó un tiempo máximo para generar una solución y se llevo a cabo una medición mensual por colaborador.The development and implementation of a protocol is documented with which it was sought to improve the response time of cases related to biomedical equipment and medical furniture, which were located in the biomedical area at Clínica los Nogales through the "Help Desk" application. ". For this, each case was classified by priority, additionally, each priority was assigned a maximum time to generate a solution and a monthly measurement was carried out by collaborator.1. INTRODUCCIÓN 2. OBJETIVOS 3. METODOLOGÍA 3.1. PROBLEMA A SOLUCIONAR 3.2. FASES DEL PROYECTO 3.2.1. Fase 1: Revisión 3.2.2. Fase 2: Definición 3.2.3. Fase 3: Implementación 3.2.4. Fase 4: Evaluación 4. RESULTADOS 5. DISCUSIÓN 6. RECOMENDACIONES Y TRABAJOS FUTUROS 7. CONCLUSIONES REFERENCIAS ANEXOSPregradoIngeniero(a) Biomédico(a

Effects on the sex hormone profile in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery

We aimed to carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of bariatric surgery on fertility in men with obesity. To assess the methodological quality of the included studies, the Cochrane-ROBINS-I tool for non-randomized studies was used. Three hundred and eighty-four articles were found. A statistically significant improvement in total testosterone levels was evidenced in all the patients; some studies did not find a correlation between this increase and the improvement in seminal parameters. Only one article showed a slight increase in estradiol levels (not statistically significant, 33.3-32 pg/mL, p: 0.68). Normal or low levels of LH and FSH were present both before and after the procedure. The total sperm count decreased at 6 months and was significantly lower at 12 months. There was not evidence of changes in seminal volume, sperm motility, and vitality. Although our systematic review shows changes on sexual hormonal parameters in men, with an increase in total testosterone levels, a negative one was also found on semen quality. More prospective and randomized studies are required, hopefully of the Latin American population, which can help confirm this association

Lessons learned from proteome analysis of perinatal neurovascular pathologies

[Introduction]: Perinatal and pediatric diseases related to neurovascular disorders cause significant problems during life, affecting a population with a long life expectancy. Early diagnosis and assessment of the severity of these diseases are crucial to establish an appropriate neuroprotective treatment. Currently, physical examination, neuroimaging and clinical judgment are the main tools for diagnosis, although these tests have certain limitations. There is growing interest in the potential value of noninvasive biomarkers that can be used to monitor child patients at risk of brain damage, allowing accurate, and reproducible measurements.[Areas covered]: This review describes potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of perinatal neurovascular diseases and discusses the possibilities they open for the classification and treatment of neonatal neurovascular diseases.[Expert opinion]: Although high rates of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke exist in pediatric populations, most studies have focused on biomarkers of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Inflammatory and neuronal biomarkers such as S-100B and GFAP, in combination with others yet to be discovered, could be considered as part of multiplex panels to diagnose these diseases and potentially for monitoring response to treatments. Ideally, noninvasive biofluids would be the best source for evaluating these biomarkers in proteomic assays in perinatal patients.This work was supported by grants from Fundación Alicia Koplowitz “Ayudas a proyectos de investigación” 2018 to J.M.; the Andalusian Health Service, Junta de Andalucia (Servicio Andalúz de Salúd, Junta de Andalucía; C-0025-2018 to P.Y.-G.); Instituto de Salud Carlos III (contrato Río Hortega 2018; CM18/00106 to PMV). The Neurovascular Research Lab at IBIS is part of the Spanish StrokeResearch Network (INVICTUS+; RD16/0019/0015)

El trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH), diferencias entre los diferentes subtipos en la composición escrita

Se presentan datos epidemiológicos detectados de una muestra de alumnos de primaria y secundaria (N= 1 004) procedentes de 24 centros educativos de la provincia de León, y que han sido estudiados en base a los procesos y factores psicológicos de la escritura. Los datos indican que un 26 (2,59 %) han sido preseleccionados por los maestros y profesores como posibles TDAH con el cuestionario DSM-IV. 22 (2,29 %) pudieron clasificarse en el subtipo de problemas atencionales, 13 (1,29%) de problemas de hiperactividad e impulsividad y 19 (1,89 %) en el subtipo combinado. A la par, se diferencian estos subtipos en muchas de las medidas de composición escrita. Se valoran y discuten las implicaciones educativas y teóricas.Epidemiological data extracted from a wide sample of Primary and Secondary School students (N= 1 004) who received education in 24 Schools from the Leon province (Spain). They were studied with the focus in writing psychological factors and processes. 26 students (2,5 %) were preselected by the teachers as having a possible ADHD with the DSM-IV questionnaire. A part ofthis subsample, 22 students (2, 29 %) could be classified in the subtype ofaftention disorder, 13 students (1,29 %) in the subtype of hyperactivity and impulsivity disorder, and 19 students (1, 89 %) would be classified into the combined subtype. Besides, it was possible to distinguish those subtypes in different writing composition measures. We appreciate and discuss the theoretical and educational implications

Estrategias docentes innovadoras para el estudio de las interrelaciones metabólicas entre órganos y tejidos especializados y su papel clave en diferentes estados fisiopatológicos

El objetivo principal del proyecto es facilitar el estudio del metabolismo, su regulación y las interrelaciones entre órganos y tejidos con distintos perfiles metabólicos, destacando su importancia en diversos estados fisiopatológicos. El proyecto pretende además poner de manifiesto la importancia de estos conocimientos para poder desarrollar proyectos de investigación en diferentes áreas. Con este objetivo, los estudiantes de los cinco grupos de primero de Grado en Biología, tutorizados por M Teresa Portolés (responsable del proyecto), Begoña Gómez-Miguel, Ana Saborido y Mercedes Echaide, profesoras que imparten Metabolismo en la asignatura de Bioquímica, han realizado las actividades indicadas a continuación, organizados en equipos de trabajo centrados en órganos y tejidos clave como cerebro, hígado, músculo, tejido adiposo y glóbulos rojos. - Elaboración de preguntas de examen, fijando la atención en los aspectos más importantes al finalizar el estudio de cada tema. - Realización de infografías expuestas en la Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas del 13 al 17 de mayo, para representar de forma clara, concisa y atractiva las características metabólicas de tipos celulares especializados y sus interrelaciones, facilitando su comprensión y estudio. - Elaboración de un mapa integrador interactivo del metabolismo en las aulas de informática de la Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas con la pizarra digital interactiva, destacando la interconexión de las diferentes rutas metabólicas en la que se basa el funcionamiento del organismo. Laura Casarrubios (Doctora en Biología) ha participado preparando dos vídeos explicativos de los programas Miro y BioRender. - Asistencia a charlas impartidas por las profesoras del proyecto enfocadas en sus proyectos de investigación y con la participación de Mónica Cicuéndez (PAD) experta en Metabolómica, para transmitir a los estudiantes la importancia del estudio del metabolismo en el desarrollo de actividades investigadoras en diferentes áreas. El proyecto ha contado con la participación de Lourdes Varea (Secretaria Administrativa) para la organización de los listados de los diferentes equipos y otras tareas administrativas, así como con numerosos estudiantes colaboradores de cursos anteriores que han aconsejado a los nuevos estudiantes en las actividades realizadas. El proyecto es interfacultativo e interdepartamental, ya que los componentes del equipo pertenecen a las Facultades de Ciencias Químicas, Ciencias Biológicas y Farmacia, y a los Departamentos de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Química en Ciencias Farmacéuticas. El equipo cuenta con 5 miembros PDI (1 Catedrática de Universidad, 3 Profesoras Titulares de Universidad y 1 Profesora Ayudante Doctor), 2 miembros PAS y estudiantes de cursos anteriores. El elevado número de estudiantes (alrededor de 400) que han desarrollado las diferentes actividades, pone de manifiesto el entusiasmo del alumnado y deja constancia de la motivación y el interés que el proyecto ha despertado en los estudiantes de primero de Grado en Biología.Depto. de Bioquímica y Biología MolecularDepto. de Química en Ciencias FarmacéuticasFac. de Ciencias QuímicasFac. de Ciencias BiológicasFac. de FarmaciaFALSEsubmitte

Guía de diseño y mejora continua de procesos asistenciales integrados. 2ª ed

Publicado en la página web de la Consejería de Igualdad, Salud y Políticas Sociales: www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud (Consejería de Salud / Profesionales / Nuestro Compromiso por la Calidad / Procesos Asistenciales Integrados)YesEsta segunda edición pretende potenciar e impulsar los principios básicos del abordaje de los Procesos Asistenciales Integrados (PAI) en Andalucía y establecer la metodología para la actualización y descripción de los PAI para este nuevo impulso

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis.

The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327  There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in th