Presència de contaminants del Conveni d’Estocolm en els aliments de Catalunya: part I: plaguicides organoclorats

Plaguicides organoclorats; Compostos tòxics; Protecció de la salutOrganochlorine pesticides; Toxic compounds; Health protectionPlaguicidas organoclorados; Compuestos tóxicos; Protección de la saludEl Departament de Salut va posar en marxa, l’octubre de 2004, el Programa Estocolm. L’objectiu d’aquest Programa és identificar i quantificar la possible presència dels contaminants del Conveni d’Estocolm en els aliments produïts i consumits a Catalunya, a fi d’obtenir informació que permeti emprendre les accions oportunes per protegir la salut de les persones dels seus efectes nocius. Els resultats de la primera campanya són els que es presenten en aquest article.The Department of Health launched in October 2004, the Stockholm Programme. The objective of this program is to identify and quantify the possible presence of contaminants of Stockholm Convention on foods produced and consumed in Catalonia, in order to obtain information to take appropriate actions to protect health of people from its harmful effects. The results of the first campaign are presented in this article.El Departamento de Salud puso en marcha, en octubre de 2004, el Programa Estocolmo. El objetivo de este Programa es identificar y cuantificar la posible presencia de los contaminantes del Convenio de Estocolmo en los alimentos producidos y consumidos en Cataluña, a fin de obtener información que permita emprender las acciones oportunas para proteger la salud de las personas de los sus efectos nocivos. Los resultados de la primera campaña son los que se presentan en este artículo

Ingesta de metalls pesants i arsènic a partir de la dieta a Catalunya: part II (el mercuri i el plom)

Mercuri; Plom; Dieta totalMercury; Lead; Overall dietMercurio; Plomo; Dieta totalInforme sobre la presència dels metalls pesants en els principals aliments consumits a Catalunya i la seva ingesta a través de la dieta, ja que la sola vigilància del contingut en metalls no permet avaluar el risc per a la salut. El treball, realitzat durant el període 2000-2002, es va plantejar com un estudi de dieta total i es van analitzar 1.008 mostres individuals corresponents als 36 aliments més consumits a Catalunya.Report about the presence of heavy metals in the main food consumed in Catalonia and its intake through the diet, since the single metal content monitoring can not assess to health risk. This work, achieved during the period 2000-2002, was raised as a total diet study and 1,008 individual samples from the 36 most consumed foods were analyzed in Catalonia.Informe sobre la presencia de los metales pesados en los principales alimentos consumidos en Cataluña y su ingesta a través de la dieta, ya que la sola vigilancia del contenido en metales no permite evaluar el riesgo para la salud. El trabajo, realizado durante el periodo 2000-2002, se planteó como un estudio de dieta total y se analizaron 1.008 muestras individuales correspondientes a los 36 alimentos más consumidos en Cataluña

Contaminants químics: estudi de dieta total a Catalunya, 2000-2002

Estudi de dieta total; Contaminants químics; Seguretat alimentàriaTotal diet study; Chemical pollutants; Food safetyEstudio de dieta total; Contaminantes químicos; Seguridad alimentariaL’estudi intenta contribuir a conèixer millor alguns riscos per a la salut associats a la contaminació química dels aliments. A més, ho fa tenint en compte els hàbits alimentaris de Catalunya, amb la qual cosa té el valor afegit de proporcionar-nos eines que ens poden ajudar a dissenyar mesures que contribueixin a la millora de la salutde la nostra població.El estudio intenta contribuir a conocer mejor algunos riesgos para la salud asociados a la contaminación química de los alimentos. Además, lo hace teniendo en cuenta los hábitos alimentarios de Cataluña, con lo cual tiene el valor añadido de proporcionarnos herramientas que nos pueden ayudar a diseñar medidas que contribuyan a la mejora de la salud de nuestra población.The study seeks to contribute to better understand certain health risks associated with chemical contamination of food. In addition, it takes into account the food habits in Catalonia, which has the added value of providing tools that can help us to design measures that contribute to improving the health of our population

Propostes d'acció per a un model col·laboratiu entre serveis sanitaris i serveis socials bàsics

Serveis sanitaris; Serveis socials bàsics; Model d'acció i col·laboracióServicios sanitarios; Servicios sociales básicos; Modelo de acción y colaboraciónHealth services; Basic social services; Action and collaboration modelDocument que recull models d'acció i col·laboració entre els serveis sanitaris i els serveis socials amb l'objectiu de promoure estratègies conjuntes de treball entre tots dos sistemes per poder abordar els problemes comuns detectats

Knowledge and attitudes of primary healthcare patients regarding population-based screening for colorectal cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to assess the extent of knowledge of primary health care (PHC) patients about colorectal cancer (CRC), their attitudes toward population-based screening for this disease and gender differences in these respects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A questionnaire-based survey of PHC patients in the Balearic Islands and some districts of the metropolitan area of Barcelona was conducted. Individuals between 50 and 69 years of age with no history of CRC were interviewed at their PHC centers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We analyzed the results of 625 questionnaires, 58% of which were completed by women. Most patients believed that cancer diagnosis before symptom onset improved the chance of survival. More women than men knew the main symptoms of CRC. A total of 88.8% of patients reported that they would perform the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) for CRC screening if so requested by PHC doctors or nurses. If the FOBT was positive and a colonoscopy was offered, 84.9% of participants indicated that they would undergo the procedure, and no significant difference by gender was apparent. Fear of having cancer was the main reason for performance of an FOBT, and also for not performing the FOBT, especially in women. Fear of pain was the main reason for not wishing to undergo colonoscopy. Factors associated with reluctance to perform the FOBT were: <b><it>(i) </it></b>the idea that that many forms of cancer can be prevented by exercise and, <b><it>(ii) </it></b>a reluctance to undergo colonoscopy if an FOBT was positive. Factors associated with reluctance to undergo colonoscopy were: <b><it>(i) </it></b>residence in Barcelona, <b><it>(ii) </it></b>ignorance of the fact that early diagnosis of CRC is associated with better prognosis, <b><it>(iii) </it></b>no previous history of colonoscopy, and <b><it>(iv) </it></b>no intention to perform the FOBT for CRC screening.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We identified gaps in knowledge about CRC and prevention thereof in PHC patients from the Balearic Islands and the Barcelona region of Spain. If fears about CRC screening, and CRC per se, are addressed, and if it is emphasized that CRC is preventable, participation in CRC screening programs may improve.</p

Islands beneath islands: phylogeography of a groundwater amphipod crustacean in the Balearic archipelago

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Metacrangonyctidae (Amphipoda, Crustacea) is an enigmatic continental subterranean water family of marine origin (thalassoid). One of the species in the genus, <it>Metacrangonyx longipes</it>, is endemic to the Balearic islands of Mallorca and Menorca (W Mediterranean). It has been suggested that the origin and distribution of thalassoid crustaceans could be explained by one of two alternative hypotheses: (1) active colonization of inland freshwater aquifers by a marine ancestor, followed by an adaptative shift; or (2) passive colonization by stranding of ancestral marine populations in coastal aquifers during marine regressions. A comparison of phylogenies, phylogeographic patterns and age estimations of clades should discriminate in favour of one of these two proposals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Phylogenetic relationships within <it>M. longipes </it>based on three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and one nuclear marker revealed five genetically divergent and geographically structured clades. Analyses of cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (<it>cox1</it>) mtDNA data showed the occurrence of a high geographic population subdivision in both islands, with current gene flow occurring exclusively between sites located in close proximity. Molecular-clock estimations dated the origin of <it>M. longipes </it>previous to about 6 Ma, whereas major cladogenetic events within the species took place between 4.2 and 2.0 Ma.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>M. longipes </it>displayed a surprisingly old and highly fragmented population structure, with major episodes of cladogenesis within the species roughly correlating with some of the major marine transgression-regression episodes that affected the region during the last 6 Ma. Eustatic changes (vicariant events) -not active range expansion of marine littoral ancestors colonizing desalinated habitats-explain the phylogeographic pattern observed in <it>M. longipes</it>.</p

Safety and effectiveness of isavuconazole in real-life non-neutropenic patients

Objectives: Information is scarce on clinical experiences with non-neutropenic patients with invasive fungal infection (IFI) receiving isavuconazole. We aimed to report the safety and effectiveness of this drug as a first-line treatment or rescue in real life. Methods: A retrospective, observational multicentric study of non-neutropenic patients who received isavuconazole as an IFI treatment at 12 different university hospitals (January 2018-2022). All patients met criteria for proven, probable or possible IFI according to EORTC-MSG. Results: A total of 238 IFIs were treated with isavuconazole during the study period. Combination therapy was administered in 27.7% of cases. The primary IFI was aspergillosis (217, 91.2%). Other IFIs treated with isavuconazole were candidemia (n = 10), mucormycosis (n = 8), histoplasmosis (n = 2), cryptococcosis (n = 2), and others (n = 4). Median time of isavuconazole treatment was 29 days. Only 5.9% (n = 14) of cases developed toxicity, mainly hepatic-related (10 patients, 4.2%). Nine patients (3.8%) had treatment withdrawn. Successful clinical response at 12 weeks was documented in 50.5% of patients. Conclusion: Isavuconazole is an adequate treatment for non-neutropenic patients with IFIs. Toxicity rates were low and its effectiveness was comparable to other antifungal therapies previously reported. (c) 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

NGS-Based Molecular Karyotyping of Multiple Myeloma: Results from the GEM12 Clinical Trial

Simple Summary Multiple Myeloma (MM) is considered an incurable chronic disease, which prognosis depends on the presence of different genomic alterations. To accomplish a complete molecular diagnosis in a single essay, we have designed and validated a capture-based NGS approach to reliably identify pathogenic mutations (SNVs and indels), genomic alterations (CNVs and chromosomic translocations), and IGH rearrangements. We have observed a good correlation of the results obtained using our capture panel with data obtained by both FISH and WES techniques. In this study, the molecular classification performed using our approach was significantly associated with the stratification and outcome of MM patients. Additionally, this panel has been proven to detect specific IGH rearrangements that could be used as biomarkers in patient follow-ups through minimal residual disease (MRD) assays. In conclusion, we think that MM patients could benefit from the use of this capture-based NGS approach with a more accurate, single-essay molecular diagnosis. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has greatly improved our ability to detect the genomic aberrations occurring in multiple myeloma (MM); however, its transfer to routine clinical labs and its validation in clinical trials remains to be established. We designed a capture-based NGS targeted panel to identify, in a single assay, known genetic alterations for the prognostic stratification of MM. The NGS panel was designed for the simultaneous study of single nucleotide and copy number variations, insertions and deletions, chromosomal translocations and V(D)J rearrangements. The panel was validated using a cohort of 149 MM patients enrolled in the GEM2012MENOS65 clinical trial. The results showed great global accuracy, with positive and negative predictive values close to 90% when compared with available data from fluorescence in situ hybridization and whole-exome sequencing. While the treatments used in the clinical trial showed high efficacy, patients defined as high-risk by the panel had shorter progression-free survival (p = 0.0015). As expected, the mutational status of TP53 was significant in predicting patient outcomes (p = 0.021). The NGS panel also efficiently detected clonal IGH rearrangements in 81% of patients. In conclusion, molecular karyotyping using a targeted NGS panel can identify relevant prognostic chromosomal abnormalities and translocations for the clinical management of MM patients

Histone deacetylase inhibition results in a common metabolic profile associated with HT29 differentiation

Cell differentiation is an orderly process that begins with modifications in gene expression. This process is regulated by the acetylation state of histones. Removal of the acetyl groups of histones by specific enzymes (histone deacetylases, HDAC) usually downregulates expression of genes that can cause cells to differentiate, and pharmacological inhibitors of these enzymes have been shown to induce differentiation in several colon cancer cell lines. Butyrate at high (mM) concentration is both a precursor for acetyl-CoA and a known HDAC inhibitor that induces cell differentiation in colon cells. The dual role of butyrate raises the question whether its effects on HT29 cell differentiation are due to butyrate metabolism or to its HDAC inhibitor activity. To distinguish between these two possibilities, we used a tracer-based metabolomics approach to compare the metabolic changes induced by two different types of HDAC inhibitors (butyrate and the non-metabolic agent trichostatin A) and those induced by other acetyl-CoA precursors that do not inhibit HDAC (caprylic and capric acids). [1,2-13C2]-d-glucose was used as a tracer and its redistribution among metabolic intermediates was measured to estimate the contribution of glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway and the Krebs cycle to the metabolic profile of HT29 cells under the different treatments. The results demonstrate that both HDAC inhibitors (trichostatin A and butyrate) induce a common metabolic profile that is associated with histone deacetylase inhibition and differentiation of HT29 cells whereas the metabolic effects of acetyl-CoA precursors are different from those of butyrate. The experimental findings support the concept of crosstalk between metabolic and cell signalling events, and provide an experimental approach for the rational design of new combined therapies that exploit the potential synergism between metabolic adaptation and cell differentiation processes through modification of HDAC activity