Valoración a medio-largo plazo de los cotilos de Mittelmeier

El objetivo del presente trabajo es valorar clínica y radiológicamente la evolución de 125 cotilos de Mittelmeier implantados en nuestro servicio, con un seguimiento medio de 8 años (5,5-14). En toda la serie se ha utilizado un mismo tipo de cotilos, aunque se han utilizado 2 vástagos, los de segunda y los de tercera generación. El comportamiento ha sido satisfactorio en el 91% de los de tercera generación y el 57% en los de segunda. Se comprobó una inclinación y recubrimientos progresivos y una emigración horizontal y vertical significativas de los cotilos. No se encontró relación entre los resultados clínicos y las alteraciones posicionales. La movilización del cotilo aparece en nuestra serie mucho más frecuentemente que en la mayor parte de la literatura. Las emigraciones horizontal y vertical pueden ser debidas a los diferentes coeficientes de elasticidad de la cerámica y el hueso sin implicar necesariamente malos resultados. Como conclusión, el comportamiento de los cotilos de Mittelmeier ha sido en general satisfactorio a pesar de las emigraciones, que han tenido escasa repercusión clínica.This study was aimed at evaluating clinically and radiologically the results of 125 Mittelmeier cups implanted in our institution, with a mean follow-up of 8 years (5.5-14). The same type of cup was used in the whole series, combined with two types of femoral stem from the 2 nd and 3rd generations. The results were satisfactory in 91 % of cases treated with the 3rd generation and 57% in those cases treated with the 2nd generation of implants. Progressive inclination and coverage were detected with both horizontal and vertical migration of the cups. No relationship was found between clinical results and the displacements observed. In this series, migrations of the cup were more frequent than those published by other authors. Horizontal and vertical migratrion may be due to the difference between the coefficients of elasticity of ceramic and bone. Cup migration did not imply poor results. In conclusion, the overall results obtained with the Mittelmeier cups were satisfactory, in spite of migration. The clinical repercussion of cup migrations was minimal

Perceptions of patients with rheumatic diseases on the impact on daily life and satisfaction with their medications: RHEU-LIFE, a survey to patients treated with subcutaneous biological products

[Abstract] Objective: The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of patients with rheumatic diseases treated with subcutaneous (SC) biological drugs on the impact on daily life and satisfaction with current therapy, including preferred attributes. Methods: A survey was developed ad hoc by four rheumatologists and three patients, including Likert questions on the impact of disease and treatment on daily life and preferred attributes of treatment. Rheumatologists from 50 participating centers were instructed to handout the survey to 20 consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (ax-SpA), or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) receiving SC biological drugs. Patients responded to the survey at home and sent it to a central facility by prepaid mail. Results: A total of 592 patients returned the survey (response rate: 59.2%), 51.4% of whom had RA, 23.8% had ax-SpA, and 19.6% had PsA. Patients reported moderate-to-severe impact of their disease on their quality of life (QoL) (51.9%), work/daily activities (49.2%), emotional well-being (41.0%), personal relationships (26.0%), and close relatives’ life (32.3%); 30%–50% patients reported seldom/never being inquired about these aspects by their rheumatologists. Treatment attributes ranked as most important were the normalization of QoL (43.6%) and the relief from symptoms (35.2%). The satisfaction with their current antirheumatic therapy was high (>80% were “satisfied” or “very satisfied”), despite moderate/severe impact of disease. Conclusion: Patients with rheumatic diseases on SC biological therapy perceive a high disease impact on different aspects of daily life, despite being highly satisfied with their treatment; the perception is that physicians do not frequently address personal problems. Normalization of QoL is the most important attribute of therapies to patients

Authentication of gold nanoparticle encoded pharmaceutical tablets using polarimetric signatures

The counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products represents concerns for both industry and the safety of the general public. Falsification produces losses to companies and poses health risks for patients. In order to detect fake pharmaceutical tablets, we propose producing film-coated tablets with gold nanoparticle encoding. These coated tablets contain unique polarimetric signatures. We present experiments to show that ellipsometric optical techniques, in combination with machine learning algorithms, can be used to distinguish genuine and fake samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report using gold nanoparticles encoded with optical polarimetric classifiers to prevent the counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products

Gene markers of dietary macronutrient composition and growth in the skeletal muscle of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)

To increase our current knowledge on the nutritional regulation of growth and gene expression pattern in fish skeletal muscle, the effect of dietary macronutrient composition was assessed on digestibility, nutrient retention, growth performance, and the mRNA levels of key genes involved in functionality, growth and development of the skeletal muscle in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). Long-term starvation decreased the expression of myogenic regulatory factors such as Myod2, Myf5, myogenin (Myog) and Myf6 in the skeletal muscle of S. aurata. The supply of high or medium protein, low carbohydrate diets enhanced growth parameters, feed efficiency ratio, feed conversion ratio and significantly upregulated myod2. However, the supply of low protein, high carbohydrate diets restricted growth and stimulated the mRNA levels of myostatin, while downregulated follistatin (fst), igf1, mtor and rps6. Microarray analysis revealed igfals, tnni2, and gadd45a as gene markers upregulated by diets enriched with protein, lipids and carbohydrates, respectively. The results of the present study show that in addition to myod2, fst, igf1, mtor and rps6, the expression levels of igfals, tnni2 and remarkably gadd45a in the skeletal muscle can be used as markers to evaluate the effect of dietary macronutrient changes on fish growth and muscle development in S. aurata

Optical security verification by synthesizing thin films with unique polarimetric signatures

This letter reports the production and optical polarimetric verification of codes based on thin-film technology for security applications. Because thin-film structures display distinctive polarization signatures, this data is used to authenticate the message encoded. Samples are analyzed using an imaging ellipsometer able to measure the 16 components of the Mueller matrix. As a result, the behavior of the thin-film under polarized light becomes completely characterized. This information is utilized to distinguish among true and false codes by means of correlation. Without the imaging optics the components of the Mueller matrix become noise-like distributions and, consequently, the message encoded is no longer available. Then, a set of Stokes vectors are generated numerically for any polarization state of the illuminating beam and thus, machine learning techniques can be used to perform classification. We show that successful authentication is possible using the knearest neighbors algorithm in thin-films codes that have been anisotropically phase-encoded with pseudorandom phase code

Proctitis in patients with monkeypox infection: a single‑center analysis of 42 consecutive cases from a multidisciplinary observational study on monkeypox proctitis

Background: The current monkeypox (MP) virus outbreak was declared an international emergency in July 2022. The aim of this report is to describe our initial experience with patients with MP, focusing on proctitis. Methods: We conducted an observational study between 20 May and 31 July 2022, on patients with MP at a reference tertiary center in Madrid, Spain. A descriptive analysis on MP was performed, focusing on its characteristics, symptoms, diagnosis, and outcomes. Results: A total of 143 positive MP cases were diagnosed in our center; 42 of them [all male, median age 39 years (range: 22–57 years)] had proctitis (29.37%), and 3 patients (2.09%/MP total cases and 7.14%/MP proctitis) required surgical drainage of a perianal abscess. Conclusions: General and digestive surgeons must be aware of the presence of proctological impairment and complications due to MP viru

Tuberculosis en la Ciudad de la Habana, 1995-1999

OBJECTIVE: Tuberculosis is a worldwide health problem getting a prioritized attention by the Cuban National Health System. To describe the main indicators of the Cuban Tuberculosis Control Program. METHODS: Based on surveillance data from the Provincial Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the health care network and strategies of the tuberculosis control program were reviewed; incidence rates, case finding indicators, diagnosis and case management were described. RESULTS: Eight subjects with respiratory symptoms were found per 1,000 attending general medical care services. The incidence rates of all tuberculosis types declined from 16.4 in 1995 to 12.0 x 10(5) people in 1999. Pulmonary tuberculosis incidence rate was reduced from 15.1 in1995 to 10.4 x 10(5) in 1999, whereas extrapulmonary tuberculosis had an increment from 1.3 to 1.6 x 10(5) in the same period. Of all new cases, 40-50 % were diagnosed at multispecialty clinics, 67.6% were diagnosed by positive smears, 15.2 % by positive cultures, 13.8 % by clinical and X-rays evidences only; and 0.9 % and 1.5 % were respectively diagnosed by biopsy and necropsy. There was an increase in the incidence rate in the age group 15-64 years in 1996 and 1997 but it declined again in 1998 and 1999. The age group 64 years and over showed a rate reduction from 1995 to 1999. In general, incidence rates diminished in the overall period. The average delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis improved from 42 days in 1995 to 28.6 days in 1999. CONCLUSIONS: There seems to be a halt in reporting trends of new cases in 1996. Tuberculosis indicators reveal satisfactory changes in the study period.OBJETIVO: La tuberculosis es un importante problema mundial de salud que recibe una atención priorizada del Sistema de Salud Cubano. Lo objetivo del trabajo es describir el comportamiento de los indicadores del Programa de Control de Tuberculosis cubano. MÉTODOS: A partir de una revisión de los documentos de la vigilancia de la tuberculosis en los registros del Centro Provincial de Higiene y Epidemiología se expone la infraestructura sanitaria, las estrategias del Programa de Control en la ciudad, se describen las tasas de incidencia, indicadores de localización, diagnóstico y manejo de casos. RESULTADOS: Se hallaron 8 sintomáticos respiratorios por cada mil consultantes de medicina general; la tasa de incidencia de tunerculosis en todas sus formas descendió de 16,4 (1995) a 12,0x105 habitantes (1999); la tuberculosis pulmonar descendió de 15,1 a 10,45 habitantes mientras la tuberculosis extrapulmonar ascendió de 1,3 a 1,6 x 105 habitantes, en igual período. Del total de los casos nuevos, el 40-50% fueron identificados en los policlínicos, el 67% fueron diagnosticados por baciloscopías, el 15,2% por cultivos, el 13.8% sólo por evidencias clínicas y radiológicas; el 0,9% y el 1,5%, respectivamente, fueron diagnosticados por biopsia o hallazgos de necropsia. Los grupos de 15-64 años incrementaron su incidencia en 1996-1997 y disminuyeron en 1998-1999; los casos >;64 años de edad disminuyeron progresivamente de 1995 a 1999; en general, la tasa de incidencia de casos disminuyó. La demora promedio entre primeros síntomas y diagnóstico mejoró de 42 días en 1995 a 28,6 en 1999. CONCLUSIONES: La reversión de la tendencia de la notificación de casos nuevos parece haberse detenido en 1996. La situación de los indicadores de tuberculosis revelan cambios satisfactorios en el período analizado