Necrotic gangrenous intrathoracic appendix in a marfanoid adult patient: a case report

BACKGROUND: A diaphragmatic hernia is defined as a defect in part of the diaphragm through which abdominal contents can protrude into the thorax. It may be congenital or acquired. In this case report, we aim to demonstrate a congenital diaphragmatic hernia in an adult marfanoid patient which required emergency treatment CASE PRESENTATION: A 43 year old woman was admitted with classical appendicitis requiring surgery. She incidentally had Marfan's clinical features with a positive family history for the syndrome. At operation she had grossly abnormal abdominal anatomy. Radiological investigations demonstrated a large right congenital diaphragmatic hernia with an intrathoracic hernial sac containing a perforated gangrenous appendix. The hernial sac was opened surgically and the appendix excised. The patient made a full recovery. CONCLUSION: Diaphragmatic hernias are usually congenital in nature often requiring early corrective surgery for future survival. We have demonstrated the presence of an unusually large diaphragmatic defect, almost a hemidiaphragmatic defect, of unknown direct etiology, but of some possible association with Marfan's syndrome in an adult patient presenting with an acute perforated gangrenous appendix requiring emergency life-saving surgery

Does environmental exposure to pharmaceutical and personal care product residues result in the selection of antimicrobial‐resistant microorganisms, and is this important in terms of human health outcomes?

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this record. Data Availability Statement: Data, associated metadata, and calculation tools are available from the corresponding author ([email protected]).The environment plays a critical role in the development, dissemination, and transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) enter the environment through direct application to the environment and through anthropogenic pollution. Although there is a growing body of evidence defining minimal selective concentrations (MSCs) of antibiotics and the role antibiotics play in horizontal gene transfer (HGT), there is limited evidence on the role of non-antibiotic PPCPs. Existing data show associations with the development of resistance or effects on bacterial growth rather than calculating selective endpoints. Research has focused on laboratory-based systems rather than in situ experiments, although PPCP concentrations found throughout wastewater, natural water, and soil environments are often within the range of laboratory-derived MSCs and at concentrations shown to promote HGT. Increased selection and HGT of AMR by PPCPs will result in an increase in total AMR abundance in the environment, increasing the risk of exposure and potential transmission of environmental AMR to humans. There is some evidence to suggest that humans can acquire resistance from environmental settings, with water environments being the most frequently studied. However, because this is currently limited, we recommend that more evidence be gathered to understand the risk the environment plays in regard to human health. In addition, we recommend that future research efforts focus on MSC-based experiments for non-antibiotic PPCPS, particularly in situ, and investigate the effect of PPCP mixtures on AM

Mortality and Cardiovascular Complications in Older Complex Chronic Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Aims/Introduction. Determining the prevalence of diabetes and its cardiovascular complications and all-cause mortality in older chronic complex patients. Materials and Methods. We carried out a multicenter retrospective study and included a randomized sample of 932 CCP people. We assessed the prevalence of diabetes according to World Health Organization criteria. Data included demographics and functional, comorbidity, cognitive, and social assessment. Results. The prevalence of diabetes was 53% and average age 81.16±8.93 years. There were no significant differences in the survival of CCP patients with or without DM, with or without ischaemic cardiopathy, and with or without peripheral vascular disease. The prognostic factors of all-cause mortality in patients with DM were age ≥ 80 years [HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.02–2.13, p  0.038], presence of heart failure [HR 1.73, 95% CI 1.25–2.38, p  0.001], Charlson score [HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.06–1.36, p  0.003], presence of cognitive impairment [HR 1.73, 95% CI 1.24–2.40, p  0.001], and no treatment with statins [HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.08–2.04, p  0.038]. Conclusions. We found high prevalence of DM among CCP patients and the relative importance of traditional risk factors seemed to wane with advancing age. Recommendations may include relaxing treatment goals, providing family/patient education, and enhanced communication strategies

Millora de l’aprenentatge a les assignatures pràctiques de Química Analítica mitjançant una planificació integral basada en l’avaluació continuada i nous instruments d’avaluació

Projecte: 2016PID-UB/014En aquest projecte s’ha treballat en la millora de l’aprenentatge de les classes pràctiques de laboratori de l’assignatura Química Analítica del Grau de Farmàcia. Aquesta assignatura és de primer curs, on el nombre anual d’estudiants implicats és molt gran, de l’ordre de 500, i les pràctiques de laboratori s’han de programar en grups reduïts, simultàniament al desenvolupament de les classes de teoria i seminaris. D’acord a la nostra experiència, el gran nombre de grups de classes pràctiques de laboratori, de professorat implicat i la varietat de coneixements teòrics previs dels estudiants comporta sovint poca homogeneïtat en l’aprenentatge i en l’assoliment de les diferents competències, així com en la seva posterior avaluació. A més, les pràctiques de laboratori es porten a terme en parelles i el programa inclou més de 30 experiències que es simultaniegen i s’avaluen de forma continuada amb l’objectiu de fomentar el desenvolupament de les competències transversals i específiques dels estudiants. Aquest projecte ha permès desenvolupar i implementar durant els cursos 2016-2017 i 2017-2018 una planificació integral innovadora de les pràctiques de laboratori basada en la coordinació de l’equip docent, en l’establiment d’itineraris de pràctiques tancats, en l’avaluació continuada i en la introducció de nous materials d’aprenentatge i instruments d’avaluació. Totes les innovacions desenvolupades es continuen aplicant a l’actualitat

Sex and gender differences in acute stroke care: metrics, access to treatment and outcome. A territorial analysis of the Stroke Code System of Catalonia

Introduction: Previous studies have reported differences in the management and outcome of women stroke patients in comparison with men. We aim to analyze sex and gender differences in the medical assistance, access to treatment and outcome of acute stroke patients in Catalonia. Patients and methods: Data were obtained from a prospective population-based registry of stroke code activations in Catalonia (CICAT) from January/2016 to December/2019. The registry includes demographic data, stroke severity, stroke subtype, reperfusion therapy, and time workflow. Centralized clinical outcome at 90 days was assessed in patients receiving reperfusion therapy. Results: A total of 23,371 stroke code activations were registered (54% men, 46% women). No differences in prehospital time metrics were observed. Women more frequently had a final diagnosis of stroke mimic, were older and had a previous worse functional situation. Among ischemic stroke patients, women had higher stroke severity and more frequently presented proximal large vessel occlusion. Women received more frequently reperfusion therapy (48.2% vs 43.1%, p < 0.001). Women tended to present a worse outcome at 90 days, especially for the group receiving only IVT (good outcome 56.7% vs 63.8%; p < 0.001), but not for the group of patients treated with IVT + MT or MT alone, although sex was not independently associated with clinical outcome in logistic regression analysis (OR 1.07; 95% CI, 0.94–1.23; p = 0.27) nor in the analysis after matching using the propensity score (OR 1.09; 95% CI, 0.97–1.22). Discussion and conclusion: We found some differences by sex in that acute stroke was more frequent in older women and the stroke severity was higher. We found no differences in medical assistance times, access to reperfusion treatment and early complications. Worse clinical outcome at 90 days in women was conditioned by stroke severity and older age, but not by sex itself

The role of Prenatal Care and Social Risk Factors in the relationship between immigrant status and neonatal morbidity: A retrospective cohort study

Background and Aim Literature evaluating association between neonatal morbidity and immigrant status presents contradictory results. Poorer compliance with prenatal care and greater social risk factors among immigrants could play roles as major confounding variables, thus explaining contradictions. We examined whether prenatal care and social risk factors are confounding variables in the relationship between immigrant status and neonatal morbidity. Methods Retrospective cohort study: 231 pregnant African immigrant women were recruited from 2007–2010 in northern Spain. A Spanish population sample was obtained by simple random sampling at 1:3 ratio. Immigrant status (Spanish, Sub-Saharan and Northern African), prenatal care (Kessner Index adequate, intermediate or inadequate), and social risk factors were treated as independent variables. Low birth weight (LBW < 2500 grams) and preterm birth (< 37 weeks) were collected as neonatal morbidity variables. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results Positive associations between immigrant women and higher risk of neonatal morbidity were obtained. Crude OR for preterm births in Northern Africans with respect to nonimmigrants was 2.28 (95% CI: 1.04–5.00), and crude OR for LBW was 1.77 (95% CI: 0.74–4.22). However, after adjusting for prenatal care and social risk factors, associations became protective: adjusted OR for preterm birth = 0.42 (95% CI: 0.14–1.32); LBW = 0.48 (95% CI: 0.15–1.52). Poor compliance with prenatal care was the main independent risk factor associated with both preterm birth (adjusted OR inadequate care = 17.05; 95% CI: 3.92–74.24) and LBW (adjusted OR inadequate care = 6.25; 95% CI: 1.28–30.46). Social risk was an important independent risk factor associated with LBW (adjusted OR = 5.42; 95% CI: 1.58– 18.62). Conclusions Prenatal care and social risk factors were major confounding variables in the relationship between immigrant status and neonatal morbidity

Descriptive analysis of childbirth healthcare costs in an area with high levels of immigration in Spain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to estimate the cost of childbirth in a teaching hospital in Barcelona, Spain, including the costs of prenatal care, delivery and postnatal care (3 months). Costs were assessed by taking into account maternal origin and delivery type.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a cross-sectional study of all deliveries in a teaching hospital to mothers living in its catchment area between October 2006 and September 2007. A process cost analysis based on a full cost accounting system was performed. The main information sources were the primary care program for sexual and reproductive health, and hospital care and costs records. Partial and total costs were compared according to maternal origin and delivery type. A regression model was fit to explain the total cost of the childbirth process as a function of maternal age and origin, prenatal care, delivery type, maternal and neonatal severity, and multiple delivery.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The average cost of childbirth was 4,328€, with an average of 18.28 contacts between the mother or the newborn and the healthcare facilities. The delivery itself accounted for more than 75% of the overall cost: maternal admission accounted for 57% and neonatal admission for 20%. Prenatal care represented 18% of the overall cost and 75% of overall acts. The average overall cost was 5,815€ for cesarean sections, 4,064€ for vaginal instrumented deliveries and 3,682€ for vaginal non-instrumented deliveries (p < 0.001). The regression model explained 45.5% of the cost variability. The incremental cost of a delivery through cesarean section was 955€ (an increase of 31.9%) compared with an increase of 193€ (6.4%) for an instrumented vaginal delivery. The incremental cost of admitting the newborn to hospital ranged from 420€ (14.0%) to 1,951€ (65.2%) depending on the newborn's severity. Age, origin and prenatal care were not statistically significant or economically relevant.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Neither immigration nor prenatal care were associated with a substantial difference in costs. The most important predictors of cost were delivery type and neonatal severity. Given the impact of cesarean sections on the overall cost of childbirth, attempts should be made to take into account its higher cost in the decision of performing a cesarean section.</p

Una planificación innovadora y nuevos instrumentos de evaluación para la mejora del aprendizaje en un laboratorio de prácticas de Química Analítica básica

Este trabajo presenta las acciones realizadas para la mejora del aprendizaje en el laboratorio de prácticas de una asignatura de Química Analítica Básica, como es la Química Analítica del Grado de Farmacia de la Universidad de Barcelona. Lo que comenzó en el marco de un proyecto de innovación docente, se ha consolidado para vertebrar el funcionamiento de estas prácticas de laboratorio hasta la actualidad, involucrando satisfactoriamente del orden de 350 estudiantes y 20 profesores por curso