Prevalence of cataract complications in patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome in Northwestern Spain

Purpose: To assess the relationship between pseudoexfoliation syndrome and incidence of complications and related clinical factors in patients undergoing cataract surgery. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 503 of 551 patients who underwent phacoemulsification surgery over 2 years in a health care district in Northwest Spain. In total, 120 of 681 eyes undergoing the procedure had pseudoexfoliation syndrome. Data on the surgical procedure and associated complications were extracted from the medical record. Complications included any combination of posterior capsular rupture, vitreous loss, zonular dialysis, and nuclear or lens luxation. Results: We found a significant association between pseudoexfoliation syndrome and zonular dialysis (odds ratio [OR], 6.89; 95% CI, 2.27-20.93), intraoperative miosis (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.10-4.22), and lens luxation >1.5 mm (OR, 9.49; 95% CI, 0.85-105.54). However, when adjusting for the overall risk of complications in pseudoexfoliation syndrome patients in consideration of myopia, use of anticoagulants or α-agonists, previous mydriasis, and anterior chamber length, the OR decreased to 1.02 (95% CI, 0.47-2.21) and was therefore not significant. Conclusion: Zonular dialysis and intraoperative miosis were intraoperative complications in cataract surgery patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome when compared to controls

Improvement of Prostaglandin-Associated Periorbitopathy after Discontinuing Treatment

Objectives:To report that the periorbital changes induced by prostaglandin analogue (PGA) eye drops are partially reversible after discontinuing treatment.Materials and Methods:Nine patients with prostaglandin-associated periorbitopathy seen in a referral oculoplastic practice were included in this study, eight with unilateral glaucoma and one with bilateral open-angle glaucoma. All of them had been treated with topical PGA for at least one year, before the treatment was discontinued for cosmetic reasons.Results:In all cases, there were evident periocular differences between the treated eye and the fellow eye, consisting mainly of deepening of the upper eyelid sulcus and eyelid fat pad reduction. One year after discontinuing the PGA eye drops, improvement of these features was observed.Conclusion:Clinicians and patients should be aware of the side effects of topical PGA therapy on periorbital tissues, and that these side effects can partially regress after discontinuation of the medication

Genomic Ancestry, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19 Among Latin Americans

We present the distribution of CYP2D6, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19 variants and predicted phenotypes in 33 native and admixed populations from Ibero-America (n > 6,000) in the context of genetic ancestry (n = 3,387). Continental ancestries are the major determinants of frequencies of the increased-activity allele CYP2C19*17 and CYP2C19 gUMs (negatively associated with Native American ancestry), decreased-activity alleles CYP2D6*41 and CYP2C9*2 (positively associated with European ancestry), and decreased-activity alleles CYP2D6*17 and CYP2D6*29 (positively associated with African ancestry). For the rare alleles, CYP2C9*2 and CYPC19*17, European admixture accounts for their presence in Native American populations, but rare alleles CYP2D6*5 (null-activity), CYP2D6-multiplication alleles (increased activity), and CYP2C9*3 (decreased-activity) were present in the pre-Columbian Americas. The study of a broad spectrum of Native American populations from different ethno-linguistic groups show how autochthonous diversity shaped the distribution of pharmaco-alleles and give insights on the prevalence of clinically relevant phenotypes associated with drugs, such as paroxetine, tamoxifen, warfarin, and clopidogrel

Determinants of the risk of intraoperative complications in phacoemulsification among patients with pseudoexfoliation

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to study the relationship between pseudoexfoliation (PES) and other predictors in the development of complications in cataract surgery by phacoemulsification in patients with PES. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing cataract surgery by phacoemulsification in the health area of Cee in northwestern Spain during the 2‑year period from 2009 to 2010. Capsule rupture, choroidal hemorrhage, and vitreous loss were included as complications and intraoperative nucleus or lens dislocation as the independent variable. PES, age, hardness, type of cataract, myopia, preoperative visual acuity, antiplatelet use, anticoagulant uses, alpha agonist use, mydriasis prior to surgery, anterior chamber depth, and axial length were included as predictor variables. All predictive hierarchical models were tested using as a selection criterion the one minimizing the Akaike index. RESULTS: A total of 551 patients were initially identified from hospital register, of which 48 were excluded due to the presence of an exclusion factor. After the initial selection, the final sample was 681 eyes of 503 patients. Of the 8192 possible models, a model with the following seven variables was selected: PES, steroid use, alpha agonist use, nuclear hardness, mydriasis, anterior chamber depth, and axial length. The selected model had an Akaike index of 435.4 and an area under the curve of 0.7895 corresponding to a sensitivity of 6.2% and a specificity of 98.5%. CONCLUSION: PES, nuclear hardness, and alpha agonist use are risk factors strongly predictive of complications

Complicaciones de la facoemulsificación en Síndrome Pseudoexfoliativo: un estudio de cohortes

La distribución del síndrome pseudoexfoliativo, aunque ha sido recogida durante décadas, es todavía bastante desconocida27. La mayor parte de los trabajos publicados se centran en pacientes con glaucoma o cataratas en los que se identifica los depósitos, lo que puede generar una sobrerrepresentación de los pacientes con pseudoexfoliación al presentar una asociación positiva. Incuso en los estudios poblacionales más amplios la variabilidad es relativamente importante. El objetivo general de esta tesis es: Determinar y caracterizar el riesgo de complicaciones precoces (ruptura capsular, miosis, dehiscencia zonular, pico tensivo, desprendimiento de retina y hemorragia coroidea) y las tardías (endoftalmia, sorpresa refractiva, luxación tardía de la lente y la variación de la presión intraocular post cirugía) en sujetos sometidos a cirugía de facoemulsificación de catarata senil en comparación con sujetos sin pseudoexfoliación. Los objetivos específicos son: 1. Cuantificar las complicaciones intraoperatorias más graves, la ruptura capsular desprendimiento de retina, hemorragia coroidea, y la dehiscencia zonular en los pacientes con pseudoexfoliación con respecto a los sujetos sin ella. 2. Analizar la frecuencia y características de las complicaciones correspondientes al pico tensivo y a la miosis. 3. Evaluar el error refractivo (sorpresa refractiva) medido en pacientes pseudoexfoliativos con respecto a pacientes sin el síndrome. 4. Obtener la tasa de luxación tardía de la lente intraocular en los pacientes con pseudoexfoliación respecto los sujetos sin pseudoexfoliación. 5. Valorar la variación de la Presión intraocular pre y post cirugía. 6. Reducir la frecuencia de complicaciones en la cirugía pseudoexfoliativa en pacientes de la población general.Tesis Univ. Granada.Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Farmaci

Respiratory Management in the Patient with Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) often lead to impairment of the respiratory system and, consequently, restrictive respiratory changes. Paresis or paralysis of the respiratory muscles can lead to respiratory insufficiency, which is dependent on the level and completeness of the injury. Respiratory complications include hypoventilation, a reduction in surfactant production, mucus plugging, atelectasis, and pneumonia. Vital capacity (VC) is an indicator of overall pulmonary function; patients with severely impaired VC may require assisted ventilation. It is best to proceed with intubation under controlled circumstances rather than waiting until the condition becomes an emergency. Mechanical ventilation can adversely affect the structure and function of the diaphragm. Early tracheostomy following short orotracheal intubation is probably beneficial in selected patients. Weaning should start as soon as possible, and the best modality is progressive ventilator-free breathing (PVFB). Appropriate candidates can sometimes be freed from mechanical ventilation by electrical stimulation. Respiratory muscle training regimens may improve patients’ inspiratory function following a SCI

Pharmacometabolomics by NMR in Oncology: A Systematic Review

Pharmacometabolomics (PMx) studies aim to predict individual differences in treatment response and in the development of adverse effects associated with specific drug treatments. Overall, these studies inform us about how individuals will respond to a drug treatment based on their metabolic profiles obtained before, during, or after the therapeutic intervention. In the era of precision medicine, metabolic profiles hold great potential to guide patient selection and stratification in clinical trials, with a focus on improving drug efficacy and safety. Metabolomics is closely related to the phenotype as alterations in metabolism reflect changes in the preceding cascade of genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics changes, thus providing a significant advance over other omics approaches. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is one of the most widely used analytical platforms in metabolomics studies. In fact, since the introduction of PMx studies in 2006, the number of NMR-based PMx studies has been continuously growing and has provided novel insights into the specific metabolic changes associated with different mechanisms of action and/or toxic effects. This review presents an up-to-date summary of NMR-based PMx studies performed over the last 10 years. Our main objective is to discuss the experimental approaches used for the characterization of the metabolic changes associated with specific therapeutic interventions, the most relevant results obtained so far, and some of the remaining challenges in this area

Burnout y factores de riesgo psicosocial en el personal de un hospital de larga estancia

Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar la relación entre los riesgos psicosociales y el burnout en un hospital español de media-larga estancia. Se realizó un estudio transversal en 2017, aplicando la versión española del MBI-HSS y el cuestionario F-Psico 3.1 del Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo. Variables predictoras: características sociodemográficas, moduladoras y factores de riesgo psicosocial. Variables resultado: prevalencia de burnout y afectación de sus subescalas. La asociación entre variables se cuantificó con odds ratio. El cansancio emocional se asoció positivamente a los riesgos psicosociales vinculados a carga de trabajo, demandas psicológicas, participación/supervisión, desempeño de rol, relaciones/apoyo social y al consumo de ansiolíticos; fueron factores protectores los hijos, sentirse valorado por pacientes y compañeros, satisfacción laboral, optimismo y apoyo social. Las asociaciones halladas para la despersonalización fueron similares, pero más débiles. La baja realización personal se asoció positivamente a los riesgos psicosociales vinculados al tiempo trabajado, autonomía, variedad/contenido del trabajo, desempeño de rol y apoyo social; fue la subescala que mostró mayor número de variables sociodemográficas/moduladoras protectoras: estado civil, tener hijos, trabajar de noche, sentirse valorado por pacientes y familiares, ilusión por el trabajo, apoyo social, autoeficacia y optimismo. Según nuestros resultados, existe asociación entre los riesgos psicosociales y el burnout. Los individuos con mayor satisfacción laboral, autoeficacia y optimismo, afrontan mejor el estrés y son menos vulnerables a los riesgos psicosociales y al burnoutThe aim of this study was to assess the relationship between psychosocial risks and burnout syndrome in a long-stay hospital in Spain. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017, applying the Spanish version of the MBI-HSS and the F-Psico 3.1 questionnaire of Spain’s National Institute of Work Safety and Health. The predictive variables were sociodemographic characteristics, modulators, and psychosocial risk factors. The outcome variables were prevalence of burnout and the effects on his subscales. Associations between variables were measured by odds ratio. Burnout was directly associated with psychosocial risks related to workload, psychological demands, participation/supervision, role performance and social support, and consumption of anxiolytics. Meanwhile, protective factors were having children, feeling valued by patients and coworkers, satisfaction at work, optimism, and social support. The associations found on depersonalization were similar but weaker. Low personal fulfillment was directly associated with the psychosocial risks related to length of workweek, limited autonomy and variety/content of work, and role performance and social support. Low personal fulfillment was the subscale with the most modulating and protective sociodemographic variables included marital status, children, night shift, feeling valued by patients and family members, social support, self-efficacy, and optimism. According to our results, there is an association between psychosocial risks and burnout syndrome. Individuals with greater work satisfaction, self-efficacy, and optimism cope better with stress and are less vulnerable to psychosocial risks and burnout

Validation of calprotectin as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of pleural effusion: a multicentre trial

Discriminating between malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and benign pleural effusion (BPE) remains difficult. Thus, novel and efficient biomarkers are required for the diagnosis of pleural effusion (PE). The aim of this study was to validate calprotectin as a diagnostic biomarker of PE in clinical settings. A total of 425 patients were recruited, and the pleural fluid samples collected had BPE in 223 cases (53.7%) or MPE in 137 patients (33%). The samples were all analysed following the same previously validated clinical laboratory protocols and methodology. Calprotectin levels ranged from 772.48 to 3,163.8 ng/mL (median: 1,939 ng/mL) in MPE, and 3,216–24,000 ng/mL in BPE (median: 9,209 ng/mL; p < 0.01), with an area under the curve of 0.848 [95% CI: 0.810–0.886]. For a cut-off value of ≤ 6,233.2 ng/mL, we found 96% sensitivity and 60% specificity, with a negative and positive predictive value, and negative and positive likelihood ratios of 96%, 57%, 0.06, and 2.4, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that low calprotectin levels was a better discriminator of PE than any other variable [OR 28.76 (p < 0.0001)]. Our results confirm that calprotectin is a new and useful diagnostic biomarker in patients with PE of uncertain aetiology which has potential applications in clinical practice because it may be a good complement to cytological methods.Instituto de Salud Carlos III | Ref. PI13/01538Xunta de Galicia | Ref. CN/2014Asociación Española de Endoscopia Respiratoria y Neumología Intervencionista | Ref. 2015Sociedade Galega de Patoloxía Respiratoria | Ref. 2014Fundación Biomédica Galicia Su