La reinserción laboral en los pacientes con cáncer colorrectal

Aim: Employment and work-related disability were investigated in a cohort of colorectal cancer patients to describe a possible discrimination and other work issues. Patients and Methods: The study included consecutively 73 colorectal cancer patients who were employed at diagnosis. The questionnaire included cancer-related symptoms and work-related factors. Clinical details were obtained from the medical record. Patients were interviewed face to face. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of La Paz Hospital. All patients gave consent to participate. Results: Eighty six per cent of patients were unable to work after diagnosis, but 55% returned to work at the end of treatment. The age, having a metastatic illness and the sequelae of the disease or its treatment were independently associated with the ability to work after the end of treatment. Almost all patients told their employers and co-workers about their disease. Conclusions: This is the fi rst exploratory study in Spain about labour reintegration in colorectal cancer. Further studies are necessary.Objetivo: Analizar los factores que infl uyen en la vuelta al trabajo en una cohorte de enfermos con cáncer colorrectal y los posibles problemas de discriminación que pueden tener. Pacientes y métodos: El estudio incluyó 73 pacientes consecutivos diagnosticados de un cáncer colorrectal y empleados en el momento del diagnóstico. Los pacientes rellenaron un cuestionario que incluía aspectos demográficos, clínicos y laborales. El estudio fue aprobado por el Comité Ético y de Investigación Clínica del Hospital La Paz. Todos los pacientes dieron su consentimiento para participar en el estudio y para la utilización de los datos de su historia clínica. Resultados: El 86% de los pacientes pasaron a inactivos tras comenzar el tratamiento de la enfermedad y un 45% lo seguían estando tras éste. No hubo diferencias en la influencia de las distintas variables analizadas con respecto a la actividad laboral tras el diagnóstico. Sin embargo, la edad avanzada, el tener un estadio IV de la enfermedad y la presencia de secuelas derivadas del tumor o del tratamiento de éste, sí infl uyeron en la reinserción laboral una vez fi nalizado el tratamiento específico. La mayoría de los pacientes no creían que el tener la enfermedad les perjudicaría en su puesto de trabajo y, en casi todos los casos, tanto sus compañeros como sus jefes conocían que tenían un tumor. Conclusiones: Éste es el primer estudio exploratorio en nuestro país acerca de la reinserción laboral de los pacientes diagnosticados de una neoplasia maligna colorrectal. Son necesarios más trabajos para poder establecer las medidas adecuadas para la mejora de este proceso

Assembling Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units by Click Chemistry. Study of Multicorannulene Systems as Host for Fullerenes

Producción CientíficaNovel compounds with two or three corannulene subunits have been obtained by “click chemistry”. These exotic systems were synthesized in high yields using the ethynylcorannulene as common reagent. The synergistic action as receptors for fullerenes of several corannulene blocks has been evaluated. It was found that the three-armed derivatives showed efficient complexation abilities toward C60. Furthermore, a new compound having two corannulene subunits linked to a hexahelicene scaffold has a remarkable affinity constant. Finally, theoretical calculations have been performed to evaluate the formation of their relative adducts containing a C60 molecule.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Projects 258 CTQ2013-41067-P and CTQ2011-23862-C02

COMPORTAMIENTO ESTACIONALY RELEVANCIA DE LOS DEPÓSITOS PERMANENTES Y ÚTILES PARA LA PRESENCIA DE AEDES (STEGOMYIA) AEGYPTI EN CAMAGÜEY, CUBA

La incidencia del dengue continúa siendo un serio problema global de salud a pesar de todas las acciones acometidas en diversas regiones del mundo. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar el comportamiento estacional y la relevancia de los depósitos permanentes y útiles urbanos para la presencia de Aedes aegypti en un área de salud de la provincia de Camagüey, Cuba, con elevada densidad vectorial durante el 2013. Existió una fuerte asociación entre el total de depósitos positivos y la sub-población de los conformados por los permanentes y útiles, los que siendo minoría como tipo de depósito incluyeron el 72,98% del total de receptáculos positivos. Hubo igualmente diferencias significativas a favor de los mismos en el período lluvioso y poco lluvioso hacia el exterior de las viviendas, lo que refuerza la prioridad que tienen en las acciones de vigilancia y control a desarrollar por los moradores en sus respectivas viviendas

Returning to work in colorectal cancer patients

Aim: Employment and work-related disability were investigated in a cohort of colorectal cancer patients to describe a possible discrimination and other work issues. Patients and Methods: The study included consecutively 73 colorectal cancer patients who were employed at diagnosis. The questionnaire included cancer-related symptoms and work-related factors. Clinical details were obtained from the medical record. Patients were interviewed face to face. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of La Paz Hospital. All patients gave consent to participate. Results: Eighty six per cent of patients were unable to work after diagnosis, but 55% returned to work at the end of treatment. The age, having a metastatic illness and the sequelae of the disease or its treatment were independently associated with the ability to work after the end of treatment. Almost all patients told their employers and co-workers about their disease. Conclusions: This is the fi rst exploratory study in Spain about labour reintegration in colorectal cancer. Further studies are necessary

Clinical aspects of visceral leishmaniasis caused by L. infantum in adults. Ten years of experience of the largest outbreak in Europe: what have we learned?

BACKGROUND: An outbreak of leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum was declared in the southwest of the Madrid region (Spain) in June 2009. This provided a unique opportunity to compare the management of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in immunocompetent adults (IC-VL), patients with HIV (HIV-VL) and patients receiving immunosuppressants (IS-VL). METHODS: A cohort of adults with VL, all admitted to the Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada between June 2009 and June 2018, were monitored in this observational study, recording their personal, epidemiological, analytical, diagnostic, treatment and outcome variables. RESULTS: The study population was made up of 111 patients with VL (10% HIV-VL, 14% IS-VL, 76% IC-VL). Seventy-one percent of the patients were male; the mean age was 45 years (55 years for the IS-VL patients, P = 0.017). Fifty-four percent of the IC-VL patients were of sub-Saharan origin (P = 0.001). Fever was experienced by 98% of the IC-VL patients vs 73% of the LV-HIV patients (P = 0.003). Plasma ferritin was > 1000 ng/ml in 77% of the IC-VL patients vs 17% of the LV-HIV patients (P = 0.007). Forty-two percent of patients fulfilled the criteria for haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. RDT (rK39-ICT) serological analysis returned sensitivity and specificity values of 45% and 99%, respectively, and ELISA/iIFAT returned 96% and 89%, respectively, with no differences in this respect between patient groups. Fourteen (13.0%) patients with VL experienced treatment failure, eight of whom were in the IC-VL group. Treatment with < 21 mg/kg (total) liposomal amphotericin B (LAB) was associated with treatment failure in the IC-VL patients [P = 0.002 (OR: 14.7; 95% CI: 2.6-83.3)]. CONCLUSIONS: IS-VL was more common than HIV-VL; the lack of experience in dealing with IS-VL is a challenge that needs to be met. The clinical features of the patients in all groups were similar, although the HIV-VL patients experienced less fever and had lower plasma ferritin concentrations. RDT (rK39-ICT) analysis returned a good specificity value but a much poorer sensitivity value than reported in other scenarios. The patients with HIV-VL, IS-VL and IC-VL returned similar serological results. Current guidelines for treatment seem appropriate, but the doses of LAB required to treat patients with HIV-VL and IS-VL are poorly defined.This work received financial support from the Red de Investigación Cooperativa en Enfermedades Tropicales (RICET) (RD12/0018/0008; RD16/0027/0017) (ISCIII) and the FEDER.S

La expresión de proinsulina atenúa los trastornos de la retina asociados a la edad en distintos modelos de envejecimiento fisiopatológico

Póster presentado en el XXXVI Congreso de la Sociedad Española de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular SEBBM, celebrada del 3 al 6 de septiembre de 2013 en Madrid (España)Peer Reviewe

First glycine isomer detected in the interstellar medium: glycolamide (NH2_2C(O)CH2_2OH)

We report the first detection in the interstellar medium of a C$_2$H$_5$O$_2$N isomer: $syn$-glycolamide (NH$_2$C(O)CH$_2$OH). The exquisite sensitivity at sub-mK levels of an ultra-deep spectral survey carried out with the Yebes 40m and IRAM 30m telescopes towards the G+0.693-0.027 molecular cloud have allowed us to unambiguously identify multiple transitions of this species. We derived a column density of (7.4 $\pm$ 0.7)$\times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$, which implies a molecular abundance with respect to H$_2$ of 5.5$\times$10$^{-11}$. The other C$_2$H$_5$O$_2$N isomers, including the higher-energy $anti$ conformer of glycolamide, and two conformers of glycine, were not detected. The upper limit derived for the abundance of glycine indicates that this amino acid is surely less abundant than its isomer glycolamide in the ISM. The abundances of the C$_2$H$_5$O$_2$N isomers cannot be explained in terms of thermodynamic equilibrium, and thus chemical kinetics need to be invoked. While the low abundance of glycine might not be surprising, based on the relative low abundances of acids in the ISM compared to other compounds (e.g. alcohols, aldehydes or amines), several chemical pathways can favour the formation of its isomer glycolamide. It can be formed through radical-radical reactions on the surface of dust grains. The abundances of these radicals can be significantly boosted in an environment affected by a strong ultraviolet field induced by cosmic rays, such as that expected in G+0.693-0.027. Therefore, as shown by several recent molecular detections towards this molecular cloud, it stands out as the best target to discover new species with carbon, oxygen and nitrogen with increasing chemical complexity.Comment: Accepted in The Astrophysical Journal Letter

Decreased salivary lactoferrin levels are specific to Alzheimer's disease

Background: Evidences of infectious pathogens in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains may suggest a deteriorated innate immune system in AD pathophysiology. We previously demonstrated reduced salivary lactoferrin (Lf) levels, one of the major antimicrobial proteins, in AD patients. Methods: To assess the clinical utility of salivary Lf for AD diagnosis, we examine the relationship between salivary Lf and cerebral amyloid-beta (A beta) load using amyloid-Positron-Emission Tomography (PET) neuroimaging, in two different cross-sectional cohorts including patients with different neurodegenerative disorders. Findings: The diagnostic performance of salivary Lf in the cohort 1 had an area under the curve [AUC] of 0.95 (0.911-0.992) for the differentiation of the prodromal AD/AD group positive for amyloid-PET (PET+) versus healthy group, and 0.97 (0.924-1) versus the frontotemporal dementia (FTD) group. In the cohort 2, salivary Lf had also an excellent diagnostic performance in the health control group versus prodromal AD comparison: AUC 0.93 (0.876-0.989). Salivary Lf detected prodromal AD and AD dementia distinguishing them from FTD with over 87% sensitivity and 91% specificity. Interpretation: Salivary Lf seems to have a very good diagnostic performance to detect AD. Our findings support the possible utility of salivary Lf as a new non-invasive and cost-effective AD biomarker.This study was supported by Dr. Carro grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS15/00780, FIS18/00118), FEDER, Comunidad de Madrid (S2017/BMD-3700; NEUROMETAB-CM), and CIBERNED (PI2016/01). This study was also supported by research grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF201785310-R to Dr. Cantero, PSI2017-85311-P to Dr. Atienza); International Centre on ageing CENIE-POCTEP (0348_CIE_6_E to Dr. Atienza); and CIBERNED (CB06/05/1111 to Dr. Cantero). Dr. Bueno receives research funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain (PIE16/00021, PI17/01799). The H2H-Spain Study was supported in Spain by grant PIE16/00021 from Instituto Carlos III, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and additional funds from the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC). The CNIC is supported by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505). The funders had no role in the conceptualisation, study design, data collection analysis and preparation of this manuscript

Validation of the International Myeloma Working Group standard response criteria in the PETHEMA/GEM2012MENOS65 study: are these times of change?

Induction and consolidation based on proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, and corticoids integrated with high-dose therapy (HDT) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), are showing complete response (CR) rates >50% in multiple myeloma (MM).1-3 The addition of anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies may increase these unprecedented CR rates.4-6 When more than half of transplant-eligible patients with MM achieve CR with frontline therapy, it is reasonable to ask, what other tests are clinically relevant after negative immunofixation. The achievement of deep responses with modern therapy led the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) to propose new guidelines that included definitions of negative minimal residual disease (MRD) for standard response criteria.7 Indeed, recent studies have reported nearly 50% MRD− rates,5,8,9 and, more importantly, the prognostic value of MRD criteria was validated in clinical trials8,10-12 and routine practice...