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Background: Acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF) presents high morbidity and mortality in spite of therapeutic advance. Identifying factors of worst prognosis is important to improve assistance during the hospital phase and follow-up after discharge. The use of echocardiography for diagnosis and therapeutic guidance has been of great utility in clinical practice. However, it is not clear if it could also be useful for risk determination and classification in patients with ADHF and if it is capable of adding prognostic value to a clinical score (OPTIMIZE-HF)., Objective: To identify the echocardiographic variables with independent prognostic value and to test their incremental value to a clinical score., Methods: Prospective cohort of patients consecutively admitted between January 2013 and January 2015, with diagnosis of acutely decompensated heart failure, followed up to 60 days after discharge. Inclusion criteria were raised plasma level of NT-proBNP (> 450 pg/ml for patients under 50 years of age or NT-proBNP > 900 pg/ml for patients over 50 years of age) and at least one of the signs and symptoms: dyspnea at rest, low cardiac output or signs of right-sided HF. The primary outcome was the composite of death and readmission for decompensated heart failure within 60 days., Results: Study participants included 110 individuals with average age of 68 ± 16 years, 55% male. The most frequent causes of decompensation (51%) were transgression of the diet and irregular use of medication. Reduced ejection fraction (<40%) was present in 47% of cases, and the NT-proBNP median was 3947 (IIQ = 2370 to 7000). In multivariate analysis, out of the 16 echocardiographic variables studied, only pulmonary artery systolic pressure remained as an independent predictor, but it did not significantly increment the C-statistic of the OPTMIZE-HF score., Conclusion: The addition of echocardiographic variables to the OPTIMIZE-HF score, with the exception of left ventricular ejection fraction, did not improve its prognostic accuracy concerning cardiovascular events (death or readmission) within 60 days.

Introduction: Nowadays it is described a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), which is associated with some clinical manifestations and increased inflammatory activity., Objective: To evaluate the association between vitamin D insufficiency with SLE and inflammatory markers., Methods: Cross-sectional study, in which have been evaluated 45 SLE patients and 24 controls without the disease. Levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] less than 30 ng/mL were considered inadequate. Disease activity was assessed by the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). High sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were evaluated for verification of the inflammatory status. For assessment of renal involvement, analysis of abnormal elements and urinay sediment (AES), quantitative hematuria and pyuria, proteinuria and creatinine clearance in 24-hour urine and serum anti-double stranded DNA were performed., Results: The prevalence of 25(OH)D insufficiency was 55% in SLE patients and 8% in the controls participants (p = 0.001). The median of 25(OH)D was lower in patients than in controls. Patients with insufficient 25(OH)D had higher levels of IL-6 and higher prevalence of hematuria in the AES. There was no correlation between vitamin D and SLEDAI or lupus nephritis., Conclusion: In our study, vitamin D deficiency was more prevalent in patients with SLE and was associated with higher levels of IL-6 and hematuria.

Introduction: Concomitance of chronic periodontitis (CP) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have been associated with adverse outcomes. Vitamin D (25(OH)D) deficiency my play a role in CP and inadequate vitamin D status is common among patients with CKD., Objective: To examine the relationship between vitamin 25(OH)D and CP in patients with CKD not yet on dialysis., Method: A case-control study was conducted. Cases and controls were defined as patients with CKD with and without CP, respectively. The demographic, clinical and laboratory data were obtained when the patient was attended in the outpatient clinic. CKD was defined and staged according to the NKF QDOKI TM. Serum 25(OH) D levels were measured by chemiluminescence when assessing the CP, which was definined according to the American Academy of Periodontoly (1999). Serum 25(OH)D levels were stratified into deficient (< 14 ηg/mL), insufficient (15-29 ηg/mL) and sufficiency (> 30 ηg/ mL)., Results: A total of 15 cases were compared with 14 controls. Cases had lower median 25(OH)D levels than controls (22.6 versus 28.6 ηg/mL, p < 0.01) and were more likely to be categorized as vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency (93,3% versus 57,1%, p < 0,004). On the other hand, the percentage of controls with vitamin D sufficiency was higher then cases (42,9% versus 6,7%, p < 0,004)., Conclusion: In patients with CKD not yet on dialysis, vitamin D deficiency is associated with CP.

Adverse drug events (ADE) are important causes of impairment of the quality of care for inpatients and therefore should be identified and characterized. Thus, lists of triggers were developed, including the proposal by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. We analyzed the application of these triggers in a university hospital, with the cooperation of pharmacy and medical students, field training, standardized forms and manuals. Here, we present the process of application and performance of these triggers in a teaching hospital. The information on the triggers and ADE were collected through a retrospective chart review of patients discharged from January to June 2008. Four hundred and ninety-seven triggers were identified in 177 charts, and each chart had 2.33 (SD = 2.7) triggers on average. The most frequent triggers were: "antiemetic" (72.1/100 charts), "abrupt cessation of medication" (70.0/100 charts) and "over-sedation, drowsiness, numbness, lethargy, hypotension and fall" (34.6/100 charts). The most effective triggers for capturing ADE were "benzodiazepine antagonist", "antidiarrheal" and "rash", which, when identified in charts, were related to an event. The ADE most commonly found were related to the triggers, "abrupt cessation of medication" (8.3/100 charts), "antiemetic" (4.6/100 charts), "rash" and "anti-allergy" (2.1/100 charts). These results may help to decide which triggers are more useful in each situation.

Objective: To asses the morphological features of the behavior of a double-sided prostheses using inguinoplasty laparotomy in dogs with latex side turned to the visceras., Methods: Twenty dogs were divided into two groups of 10 and submitted into infraumbilical laparotomy with double-sided prostheses fixed in an inguinal area and in the other side area a control prostheses of polipropilene (PPL). Macroscopics itens were studied on the 14th and 28th day post-operatory, and they were related to obstruction and intestinal fistulas, encystation, fusion and especially sticker. The microscopic analysis covered the inflammatory process in its acute, chronic and restored phase, Results: Infectious process, obstruction or intestinal fistula did not happen. The prostheses presented good accommodation and incorporation. The stickers happened with more prevalent and intensity with the PPL (p<0,05) prostheses. The stickers with double-sided prostheses happened 65% in its two groups average, from these 35% in average the sticker happened with the PPL disc in the parietal side. The macroscopic itens analysis did not show any statistical difference between prostheses (p>0,05)., Conclusion: The double-sided prostheses in its parietal side adds the advantages of the incorporation's potential to the noticed material with PPL to the biocompatibility from the latex in its visceral side. The little distance between the PPL disc and the edge of the double-sided prostheses (2 cm) allied to its sticking with just five staples is not enough to avoid gaps, through which the epíploon migrated towards to the inflammatory process provoked by PPL in the parietal side.

Splenic cysts are rare lesions. By 1978, only 651 cases had been reported. Over the years, the management of splenic cysts has changed with advances in surgical techniques. The traditional treatment of these lesions has been splenectomy. The recognition of the post splenectomy complications has led to emphasis on conservation of splenic tissue. Nowadays, the tendency is to use splenic salvage techniques: partial splenectomy, partial splenic decapsulation and laparoscopic assistance. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature, and to report two cases of splenic cysts that were treated by the conservative method.