Clinical characteristics, sepsis interventions and outcomes in the obese patients with septic shock: an international multicenter cohort study

La calidad educativa de los centros de hoy depende del nivel de competencias adquirido por sus educadores (Perrenoud, 2002). En este sentido, debemos apostar por un equipo humano formado por sujetos que sepan superarse permanentemente, aptos para ejercer tareas dinámicas y cambiantes y que compartan alternativas para crecer en todos los sentidos. Más todavía, debemos apostar por profesionales capaces de identificar y dominar los procesos que se deben realizar actuando con decisión y responsabilidad. La adquisición de competencias comporta aptitud y actitud para utilizar conocimientos, más concretamente, habilidades y valores, de manera interdisciplinaria, transversal e interactiva en contextos y situaciones que requieren la intervención de contenidos vinculados a las diferentes áreas del currículum (Lleixà, 2007), sin exclusividad, en este caso, del área de Educación Física. Presentamos una propuesta metodológica, el «Paradigma Estratégico para el desarrollo de habilidades competenciales», cuya ejecución implica comprensión, reflexión y discernimiento, teniendo en cuenta la dimensión social de cada situación. El estudio se ha llevado a cabo en la Universidad de Lleida con 40 alumnos de tercer curso de la asignatura «Educación Física y su didáctica». Se pretende valorar el impacto que provoca la implementación del programa «Paradigma estratégico para la adquisición de habilidades competenciales» sobre sus propias percepciones competenciales intrapersonales, antes y después de la aplicación de dicho programa

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Low-dose corticosteroid treatment in septic shock: A propensity-matching study

Objective: Given conflicting data and current guidelines, low-dose corticosteroids are often used in the treatment of septic shock. To evaluate the therapeutic benefit of early low-dose corticosteroid in patients with septic shock. Design: Retrospective, multicenter, propensity-matched cohort study. Setting: ICUs of 28 academic and community hospitals in three countries between 1996 and 2007. Subjects: Six thousand six hundred sixty-three eligible patients with septic shock of whom 1,838 received IV low-dose corticosteroid treatment within 48 hours of the diagnosis of septic shock and were matched to a comparable group who did not receive low-dose corticosteroid. Measurements and Main Measurements and Main Measurement and Main Results: The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Mortality analyses were stratified by severity of illness (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II quartile). Using a Cox proportional hazards model, corticosteroid therapy was associated with similar 30-day mortality when compared with the matched control cohort (652/1,838 [35.5%] vs 641/1,838 [34.9%]; hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.88-1.10; p = 0.77). In the subgroup of patients with the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score quartile more than or equal to 30, low-dose corticosteroid was associated with lower mortality (232/461 [50.6%] vs 251/450 [55.8%]; hazard ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.68-0.97; p = 0.02). In logistic regression models, corticosteroid therapy was not associated with reductions in ICU (556/1,838 [30.3%] vs 558/1,838 [30.4%]; odds ratio, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.86-1.15; p = 0.94) or hospital mortality (797/1,838 [43.4%] vs 773/1,838 [42.1%]; odds ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.93-1.20; p = 0.42). Similarly, there were no significant differences in ventilator-(median and interquartile range, 13 [0-25] vs 15 [0-25]; p = 0.8) and pressor/inotrope-free days (median and interquartile range, 25 [3-27] vs 24 [2-28]; p = 0.63) up to 30 days between groups. Conclusion: Early administration of low-dose corticosteroid is not associated with decreased mortality when it is administered to unselected patients with septic shock. A beneficial effect of low-dose corticosteroid on mortality may exist in patients with the highest severity of illness. Future trials of low-dose corticosteroid in septic shock should consider restricting the study population to this cohort.</p