Chagas disease in Latin American migrants: a Spanish challenge

AbstractChagas’ disease affects millions in Latin America and is the leading cause of cardiomyopathy and death due to cardiovascular disease in patients aged 30–50 years. As a consequence of immigration it has settled in several European countries, where besides imported cases, autochthonous infections arise through vertical transmission and blood/organ donation. All Latin American immigrants who attended our Unit were screened for T. cruzi infection (ELISA and IFAT ± PCR). An ECG and echocardiogram were requested for all positive patients, and oesophageal manometry, barium swallow and barium enema were requested according to patient symptoms. All patients under 50 years without severe cardiac involvement and who had not received correct treatment previously were treated with benznidazole 5 mg/kg/day for 60 days. Patients were followed-up with serology and PCR 1 month after treatment ended and every 6 months thereafter. A total of 1146 Latin Americans were screened for T. cruzi (357 positive serology results). The typical patient profile was a Bolivian female, of rural origin, in her fourth decade of life, without evidence of visceral involvement. Treatment tolerance was poor, with 29.7% discontinuing treatment due to adverse reactions. Among those with adverse reactions (52%), the most frequent were cutaneous hypersensitivity (68.7%), gastrointestinal upset (20%) and nervous system disturbances (16.2%). T. cruzi infection is no longer limited to Latin America. Poor treatment tolerance can limit current treatment options. More epidemiological data are necessary to estimate the magnitude of a problem of great relevance for public health and health resource planning

Compliance with current dietary recommendations and geographical variability of diet in women participating in 7 screening programs for breast cancer in Spain

Introducción: Una dieta saludable es especialmente importante durante la menopausia, periodo en el que aumenta el riesgo de varios problemas de salud. Analizamos la dieta de mujeres peri y postmenopáusicas españolas y el grado de cumplimiento de las recomendaciones actuales. Material y métodos: Estudio transversal en 3.574 mujeres de 45-68 años que acuden al cribado de cáncer de mama en 7 centros (A Coruña, Barcelona, Burgos, Palma de Mallorca, Pamplona, Valencia y Zaragoza). Se recogió la dieta mediante un cuestionario de frecuencia de alimentos validado para población española. Para la valoración del cumplimiento de las recomendaciones actuales se utilizaron los rangos recomendados por la Sociedad Española de Nutrición Comunitaria para ingesta de grupos de alimentos y las Ingestas Diarias Recomendadas (IDR) para energía, vitaminas y minerales de la Federación Española de Nutrición, Alimentación y Dietética. Resultados: El 29% de las mujeres eran obesas y un 42% tenía sobrepeso. El aporte calórico medio fue de 2.053 kcal (DE: 480). El perfil calórico general fue de: 43% de la energía aportada por lo carbohidratos, 36% por las grasas, 20% por las proteínas. Se evidenció una ingesta deficiente de vitamina D en todos los nodos del estudio, con una ingesta media general de 2,14 μg/día. Se detectó a su vez una ingesta deficitaria de vitamina E en A Coruña y Burgos. Todos los centros presentaron una ingesta elevada de productos lácteos y de legumbres. El consumo de frutas y verduras fue muy heterogéneo siendo especialmente elevada su ingesta en Mallorca y Valencia mientras que fue baja para ambos grupos de alimentos en A Coruña. La ingesta de aceite de oliva fue elevada en todos los centros exceptuando Burgos con un 74,3% de las mujeres estudiadas por debajo de las 3 raciones al día recomendadas. Conclusiones: Una dieta con menos grasas y proteínas y más rica en vegetales, frutos secos y alimentos ricos en hidratos de carbono equilibraría el balance energético y mejoraría la calidad de la dieta corrigiendo las bajas ingestas de vitaminas D y E. Estas recomendaciones son especialmente importantes en las ciudades más alejadas de la costa mediterránea donde se han detectado mayores incumplimientos de las recomendaciones vigentes y una dieta más alejada de la dieta mediterránea.Introduction: A healthy diet is especially important during menopause, a period which increases the risk of various health problems. We analyzed the diet of periand postmenopausal Spanish women and the degree of compliance with current recommendations. Material and methods: We studied 3574 women 45-68 years old who attended breast cancer screening programmes in 7 centres (A Coruña, Barcelona, Burgos, Palma de Mallorca, Pamplona, Valencia and Zaragoza). Diet information was collected using a food frequency questionnaire validated for the Spanish population. For the assessment of compliance with current guidelines we used the recommendations by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition for food groups intake and by the Spanish Federation of Nutrition, Food and Dietetics for energy, vitamins and minerals intake. Results: The 29% of women were obese and 42% overweight. The average caloric intake was 2.053 kcal (SD 480). The general energy profile was: 43% of the energy from the carbohydrates, 36% from fats, and 20% from proteins. There was a low vitamin D intake in all centres of the study, with an overall mean intake of 2.14 mg/day. A deficit of vitamin E intake in A Coruña and Burgos was also detected. Intake of dairy products and vegetables was high in all the study centers. The consumption of fruits and vegetables was very heterogeneous, with high intakes observed in Mallorca and Valencia and low for both food groups in A Coruña. The olive oil intake was high in all centers except Burgos with 74.3% of the women studied below the recommended 3 servings per day. Conclusions: A diet with less fat and protein and a higher consumption of vegetables, nuts and foods rich in carbohydrate might balance the energy intake and improve the quality of the diet correcting the low intakes of vitamins D and E. These recommendations are especially important in cities far from the Mediterranean coast where more breaches have been detected over the current recommendations with a lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet.Este estudio ha recibido financiación del Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (proyecto PI060386) y de Astra-Zéneca (convenio de colaboración entre Astra- Zeneca y el Instituto de salud Carlos III 1306-1306 EPY

Anticoagulant therapy for splanchnic vein thrombosis: an individual patient data meta-analysis

Robust evidence on the optimal management of splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) is lacking. We conducted an individual-patient meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of anticoagulation for SVT. Medline, Embase, and clincaltrials.gov were searched up to June 2021 for prospective cohorts or randomized clinical trials including patients with SVT. Data from individual datasets were merged, and any discrepancy with published data was resolved by contacting study authors. Three studies of a total of 1635 patients were included. Eighty-five percent of patients received anticoagulation for a median duration of 316 days (range, 1-730 days). Overall, incidence rates for recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), major bleeding, and mortality were 5.3 per 100 patient-years (p-y; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.1-5.5), 4.4 per 100 p-y (95% CI, 4.2-4.6), and 13.0 per 100 p-y (95% CI, 12.4-13.6), respectively. The incidence rates of all outcomes were lower during anticoagulation and higher after treatment discontinuation or when anticoagulation was not administered. In multivariable analysis, anticoagulant treatment appeared to be associated with a lower risk of recurrent VTE (hazard ratio [HR], 0.42; 95% CI, 0.27-0.64), major bleeding (HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.30-0.74), and mortality (HR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.17-0.31). Results were consistent in patients with cirrhosis, solid cancers, myeloproliferative neoplasms, unprovoked SVT, and SVT associated with transient or persistent nonmalignant risk factors. In patients with SVT, the risk of recurrent VTE and major bleeding is substantial. Anticoagulant treatment is associated with reduced risk of both outcomes. © 2022 by The American Society of Hematology

Serotypes and Clonal Composition of Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates Causing IPD in Children and Adults in Catalonia before 2013 to 2015 and after 2017 to 2019 Systematic Introduction of PCV13

The goal of this study was to investigate the distribution of serotypes and clonal composition of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates causing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Catalonia, before and after systematic introduction of PCV13. Pneumococcal strains isolated from normally sterile sites obtained from patients of all ages with IPD received between 2013 and 2019 from 25 health centers of Catalonia were included. Two study periods were defined: presystematic vaccination period (2013 and 2015) and systematic vaccination period (SVP) (2017 to 2019). A total of 2,303 isolates were analyzed. In the SVP, there was a significant decrease in the incidence of IPD cases in children 5 to 17 years old (relative risk [RR] 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38 to 0.99), while there was a significant increase in the incidence of IPD cases in 18- to 64-year-old adults (RR 1.33; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.52) and adults over 65 years old (RR 1.23; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.38). Serotype 8 was the major emerging serotype in all age groups except in 5- to 17-year-old children. In children younger than 5 years old, the main serotypes in SVP were 24F, 15A, and 3, while in adults older than 65 years they were serotypes 3, 8, and 12F. A significant decrease in the proportions of clonal complexes CC156, CC191, and ST306 and an increase in those of CC180, CC53, and CC404 were observed. A steady decrease in the incidence of IPD caused by PCV13 serotypes indicates the importance and impact of systematic vaccination. The increase of non-PCV13 serotypes highlights the need to expand serotype coverage in future vaccines and rethink vaccination programs for older adults. IMPORTANCE We found that with the incorporation of the PCV13 vaccine, the numbers of IPD cases caused by serotypes included in this vaccine decreased in all of the age groups. Still, there was an unforeseen increase of the serotypes not included in this vaccine causing IPD, especially in the >65-year-old group. Moreover, a significant increase of serotype 3 included in the vaccine has been observed; this event has been reported by other researchers. These facts call for the incorporation of more serotypes in future vaccines and a more thorough surveillance of the dynamics of this microorganism

Harassment patterns and risk profile in Spanish trans person

This article describes the harassment patterns and the risk profile in trans people living in Spain. A sample of 212 trans persons,aged 10-62, participated in this cross-sectional study. Results showed a high percentage of harassment (59.9%) and frequency of daily harassment (12.6%), especially verbal attacks (59%) that occurred in public spaces (49.1%) and within educational contexts (46.2%). Harassment is more prevalent in trans women than men. Those who disclose their gender identities at a younger age experience higher percentages and frequency of harassment than those who disclose at an older age. They also suffer more harassment of different types. The risk profile of harassment indicates that older trans women are more likely to suffer harassment than younger ones, and the risk decreases each year they delay their gender identity disclosure. The elimination of transphobic attitudes and the promotion of gender justice should be priority strategies in Spain

Effectiveness of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in preventing invasive pneumococcal disease in children aged 7-59 months. A matched case-control study

Background The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) was licensed based on the results of immunogenicity studies and correlates of protection derived from randomized clinical trials of the 7-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine. We assessed the vaccination effectiveness (VE) of the PCV13 in preventing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children aged 7-59 months in a population with suboptimal vaccination coverage of 55%. Methods The study was carried out in children with IPD admitted to three hospitals in Barcelona (Spain) and controls matched by hospital, age, sex, date of hospitalization and underlying disease. Information on the vaccination status was obtained from written medical records. Conditional logistic regression was made to estimate the adjusted VE and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results 169 cases and 645 controls were included. The overall VE of ≥1 doses of PCV13 in preventing IPD due to vaccine serotypes was 75.8% (95% CI, 54.1-87.2) and 90% (95% CI, 63.9-97.2) when ≥2 doses before 12 months, two doses on or after 12 months or one dose on or after 24 months, were administered. The VE of ≥1 doses was 89% (95% CI, 42.7-97.9) against serotype 1 and 86.0% (95% CI, 51.2-99.7) against serotype 19A. Serotype 3 showed a non-statistically significant effectiveness (25.9%; 95% CI, -65.3 to 66.8). Conclusions The effectiveness of ≥1 doses of PCV13 in preventing IPD caused by all PCV13 serotypes in children aged 7-59 months was good and, except for serotype 3, the effectiveness of ≥1 doses against the most frequent PCV13 serotypes causing IPD was high when considered individually

Political candidates in infotainment programmes and their emotional effects on Twitter: An analysis of the 2015 Spanish general elections pre-campaign season

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Contemporary Social Science on 2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/21582041.2017.1367833.[EN] The infotainment format offers candidates an informal setting to show a more personal side of themselves to the electorate, opening themselves up to potential voters. An example of media hybridisation, social networks users can immediately comment on infotainment television programmes, a process known as second screening. These second screeners tend to be especially active in politics. This paper analyses the immediate emotional reaction of these users as they watch infotainment programmes that air during the campaign or pre-campaign seasons and feature political candidates as guests. We have confirmed that second screeners react more emotionally towards the candidate when his or her party is mentioned, and less emotionally when the host displays an aggressive attitude through his or her non-verbal communication. When issues related to the candidate¿s personal lives are discussed, users¿ emotional reactions improve slightly. The relevance of this research stems from the fact that we are witnessing the consolidation of a politics that increasingly strays from ideological questions, and instead focuses on more emotional and personal issues.This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad under Grants CSO2013-43960-R and CSO2016-77331-C2-1-R.Baviera, T.; Peris, À.; Cano-Orón, L. (2019). Political candidates in infotainment programmes and their emotional effects on Twitter: An analysis of the 2015 Spanish general elections pre-campaign season. 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The Hybrid Media System. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199759477.001.0001Dang-Xuan, L., Stieglitz, S., Wladarsch, J., & Neuberger, C. (2013). AN INVESTIGATION OF INFLUENTIALS AND THE ROLE OF SENTIMENT IN POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ON TWITTER DURING ELECTION PERIODS. Information, Communication & Society, 16(5), 795-825. doi:10.1080/1369118x.2013.783608Giglietto, F., & Selva, D. (2014). Second Screen and Participation: A Content Analysis on a Full Season Dataset of Tweets. Journal of Communication, 64(2), 260-277. doi:10.1111/jcom.12085Grabe, M. E., & Bucy, E. P. (2009). Image Bite Politics. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195372076.001.0001Guo, L., & Vargo, C. (2015). The Power of Message Networks: A Big-Data Analysis of the Network Agenda Setting Model and Issue Ownership. Mass Communication and Society, 18(5), 557-576. doi:10.1080/15205436.2015.1045300Harrington, S. (2008). Popular news in the 21st century Time for a new critical approach? Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism, 9(3), 266-284. doi:10.1177/1464884907089008López-Rico, C.-M., & Peris-Blanes, À. (2017). Agenda e imagen de los candidatos de las elecciones generales de 2015 en España en programas televisivos de infoentretenimiento. El Profesional de la Información, 26(4), 611. doi:10.3145/epi.2017.jul.05Maruyama, M., Robertson, S. P., Douglas, S., Raine, R., & Semaan, B. (2017). Social Watching a Civic Broadcast. Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing. doi:10.1145/2998181.2998340Medhat, W., Hassan, A., & Korashy, H. (2014). Sentiment analysis algorithms and applications: A survey. Ain Shams Engineering Journal, 5(4), 1093-1113. doi:10.1016/j.asej.2014.04.011Saif, H., He, Y., & Alani, H. (2012). Semantic Sentiment Analysis of Twitter. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 508-524. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-35176-1_32Shah, D. V., Hanna, A., Bucy, E. P., Lassen, D. 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Influence of the balanced scorecard on the science and innovation performance of Latin American universities

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Knowledge Management Research & Practice on 2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14778238.2019.1569488[EN] Pressure on the education system to meet society's needs has led some universities to adopt organisational performance measurement systems as strategic control tools. One of the most commonly used systems in business is the balanced scorecard (BSC). For Latin American universities, the urgent task of increasing the quantity and quality of research and innovation has led these universities to update their essential processes. A suitable control system is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of these new policies. Based on strategic management theory, this study focuses on the implementation of a BSC method in Latin American public universities. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of BSC implementation on universities? research and innovation performance. The results reveal similar patterns of indicators to measure performance in public universities. Furthermore, these indicators develop favourably following implementation of the BSC.Peris-Ortiz, M.; García-Hurtado, D.; Devece Carañana, CA. (2019). Influence of the balanced scorecard on the science and innovation performance of Latin American universities. Knowledge Management Research & Practice. 17(4):373-383. https://doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2019.1569488S373383174Agostino, D., & Arnaboldi, M. (2012). Design issues in Balanced Scorecards: The «what» and «how» of control. European Management Journal, 30(4), 327-339. doi:10.1016/j.emj.2012.02.001Al-Ashaab, A., Flores, M., Doultsinou, A., & Magyar, A. (2011). A balanced scorecard for measuring the impact of industry–university collaboration. Production Planning & Control, 22(5-6), 554-570. doi:10.1080/09537287.2010.536626Ankrah, S., & AL-Tabbaa, O. (2015). Universities–industry collaboration: A systematic review. 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Measuring Business Excellence, 9(4), 46-54. doi:10.1108/13683040510634835Villarreal Larrinaga, O., & Landeta Rodríguez, J. (2010). EL ESTUDIO DE CASOS COMO METODOLOGÍA DE INVESTIGACIÓN CIENTÍFICA EN DIRECCIÓN Y ECONOMÍA DE LA EMPRESA. UNA APLICACIÓN A LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN. Investigaciones Europeas de Dirección y Economía de la Empresa, 16(3), 31-52. doi:10.1016/s1135-2523(12)60033-1Wiersma, E. (2009). For which purposes do managers use Balanced Scorecards? Management Accounting Research, 20(4), 239-251. doi:10.1016/j.mar.2009.06.00