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Differences between computer-assisted image analysis (CAI) algorithms may cause discrepancies in the identification of immunohistochemically stained immune biomarkers in biopsies of breast cancer patients. These discrepancies have implications for their association with disease outcome. This study aims to compare three CAI procedures (A, B and C) to measure positive marker areas in post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy biopsies of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and to explore the differences in their performance in determining the potential association with relapse in these patients. A total of 3304 digital images of biopsy tissue obtained from 118 TNBC patients were stained for seven immune markers using immunohistochemistry (CD4, CD8, FOXP3, CD21, CD1a, CD83, HLA-DR) and were analyzed with procedures A, B and C. The three methods measure the positive pixel markers in the total tissue areas. The extent of agreement between paired CAI procedures, a principal component analysis (PCA) and Cox multivariate analysis was assessed. Comparisons of paired procedures showed close agreement for most of the immune markers at low concentration. The probability of differences between the paired procedures B/C and B/A was generally higher than those observed in C/A. The principal component analysis, largely based on data from CD8, CD1a and HLA-DR, identified two groups of patients with a significantly lower probability of relapse than the others. The multivariate regression models showed similarities in the factors associated with relapse for procedures A and C, as opposed to those obtained with procedure B. General agreement among the results of CAI procedures would not guarantee that the same predictive breast cancer markers were consistently identified. These results highlight the importance of developing additional strategies to improve the sensitivity of CAI procedures.

Background: The distribution of vascular risk factors (VRFs) and stroke management vary by geographic area. Our aim was to examine the percentage of the VRFs according to age and sex in ischemic stroke survivors in a geographical area on the Mediterranean coast of Southern Catalonia, Spain. Methods: This was a multicenter, observational, retrospective, community-based study of a cohort, the data of which we obtained from digital clinical records of the Catalan Institute of Health. The study included all patients with a confirmed diagnosis of ischemic stroke who were treated between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2020. Patients met the following inclusion criteria: residing in the study area, age ≥ 18 years, and presenting ≥1 modifiable vascular risk factor. The exclusion criteria were as follows: death patients (non-survivors) and patients without modifiable VRFs. We collected the demographic, clinical, and VRF variables of the total of 2054 cases included, and we analyzed the data according to age groups, sex, and number of VRFs. Results: Most of the patients included were in the 55–80 age group (n = 1139; 55.45%). Of the patients, 56.48% (n = 1160) presented ≤ 2 modifiable VRFs, and the age group 80 years old (38.82%)) and dyslipidemia (4 VRF (5.35%)). Conclusions: These results suggest the presence of many VRFs in people diagnosed with ischemic stroke—although with a lower percentage compared to other studies—and the need for specific individualized interventions for the control of modifiable RFs related to primary and secondary prevention of stroke.

Differences between computer-assisted image analysis (CAI) algorithms may cause discrepancies in the identification of immunohistochemically stained immune biomarkers in biopsies of breast cancer patients. These discrepancies have implications for their association with disease outcome. This study aims to compare three CAI procedures (A, B and C) to measure positive marker areas in post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy biopsies of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and to explore the differences in their performance in determining the potential association with relapse in these patients. A total of 3304 digital images of biopsy tissue obtained from 118 TNBC patients were stained for seven immune markers using immunohistochemistry (CD4, CD8, FOXP3, CD21, CD1a, CD83, HLA-DR) and were analyzed with procedures A, B and C. The three methods measure the positive pixel markers in the total tissue areas. The extent of agreement between paired CAI procedures, a principal component analysis (PCA) and Cox multivariate analysis was assessed. Comparisons of paired procedures showed close agreement for most of the immune markers at low concentration. The probability of differences between the paired procedures B/C and B/A was generally higher than those observed in C/A. The principal component analysis, largely based on data from CD8, CD1a and HLA-DR, identified two groups of patients with a significantly lower probability of relapse than the others. The multivariate regression models showed similarities in the factors associated with relapse for procedures A and C, as opposed to those obtained with procedure B. General agreement among the results of CAI procedures would not guarantee that the same predictive breast cancer markers were consistently identified. These results highlight the importance of developing additional strategies to improve the sensitivity of CAI procedures.

The foremost cause of death of breast cancer (BC) patients is metastasis, and the first site to which BC predominantly metastasizes is the axillary lymph node (ALN). Thus, ALN status is a key prognostic indicator at diagnosis. The immune system has an essential role in cancer progression and dissemination, so its evaluation in ALNs could have significant applications. In the present study we aimed to investigate the association of clinical-pathological and immune variables in the primary tumour and non-metastatic ALNs (ALNsWe analysed the differences in the variables between patients with different outcomes, created univariate and multivariate Cox regression models, validated them by bootstrapping and multiple imputation of missing data techniques, and used Kaplan-Meier survival curves for a 10-years follow-up.We found some clinical-pathological variables at diagnosis (tumour diameter, TNBC molecular profile and presence of ALN metastasis), and the levels of several immune markers in the two studied sites, to be associated with worse CSS and TTP. Nevertheless, only CD68 and CD83 in ALNsThe study identified the importance of macrophage and dendritic cell markers as prognostic factors of relapse for BC. We highlight the importance of studying the immune response in ALNs

The implementation of prevention strategies can reduce the risk of having a stroke. This prospective, longitudinal, multicenter observational study of 82 patients describes health habits, quality of life, coping strategies, and physical and neurological status at 3 months and 1 year after stroke. The EuroQoL-5D quality of life scale (EQ-5D) and the coping strategy measurement scale (COPE-28) were used to assess pain and discomfort, and behavioral and lifestyle changes. Significant differences were observed in the pain or discomfort levels of those patients with behavioral and lifestyle changes. Correlation was also found between pain or discomfort and the coping strategies associated with active emotional support at 1 year after stroke. The results of the pain or discomfort dimension were not, however, associated with better adherence to treatment. Pain and discomfort could have a predictive value in changes in lifestyles and behaviors but not for treatment adherence in patients who have had a stroke, which is significant at 1 year. In addition to important active coping strategies such as social support, these changes in behavior and lifestyle following a stroke are long-term and should therefore be assessed during the initial examination.

In addition to complying with strict academic standards, nursing students must acquire relevant knowledge and skills, and learn how to carry themselves in different and often stressful professional settings. These obligations could severely affect their mental health. The purpose of this study was to examine the mental health status of undergraduate nursing students and related factors. A total of 1368 nursing students from different universities in Spain and Chile were included in this study, which took place over the 2018–2019 academic year. We assessed their levels of stress related to specific learning methodologies and determined their mental health status using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The results revealed that the more advanced the course was, the lower the total GHQ-28 score. The stress generated by different types of training activities had a significant effect on the total GHQ-28 score. These results suggest that nursing education could act as a protective factor against mental health disorders. Although a heavy academic workload could lead to higher levels of stress, overall, it seems that mental health is better in more advanced courses than in initial academic years.

Breast cancer (BC) comprises four immunohistochemical surrogate subtypes of which triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the highest risk of mortality. Axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) are the regions where BC cells first establish before distant metastasis, and the presence of tumor cells in the ALN causes an immune tolerance profile that contrasts with that of the nonmetastatic ALN (ALN−). However, few studies have compared the immune components of the ALNs− in BC subtypes. The present study aimed to determine whether differences between immune populations in the primary tumor and ALNs− were associated with the luminal A or TNBC subtype. We evaluated a retrospective cohort of 144 patients using paraffin-embedded biopsies. The TNBC samples tended to have a higher histologic grade and proliferation index and had higher levels of immune markers compared with luminal A in primary tumors and ALNs−. Two methods for validating the multivariate analysis found that histologic grade, intratumoral S100 dendritic cells, and CD8 T lymphocytes and CD57 natural killer cells in the ALNs− were factors associated with TNBC, whereas CD83 dendritic cells in the ALNs− were associated with the luminal A subtype. In conclusion, we found that intratumoral regions and ALNs− of TNBC contained higher concentrations of markers related to immune tolerance than luminal A. This finding partially explains the worse prognosis of patients with TNBC.

New reperfusion therapies have improved the clinical recovery rates of acute ischemic stroke patients (AISP), but it is not known whether other factors, such as the ability to cope, might also have an effect. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of endovascular treatment (EVT) on coping strategies, quality of life, and neurological and functional outcomes in AISP at 3 months and 1 year post-stroke. A multicenter, prospective, longitudinal, and comparative study of a sub-study of the participants in the Endovascular Revascularization with Solitaire Device versus Best Medical Therapy in Anterior Circulation Stroke within 8 Hours (REVASCAT) clinical trial was conducted after recruiting from two stroke centers in Catalonia, Spain. The cohort consisted of 82 ischemic stroke patients (n = 42 undergoing EVT and n = 40 undergoing standard best medical treatment (BMT) as a control group), enrolled between 2013&ndash, 2015. We assessed the coping strategies using the Brief Coping Questionnaire (Brief-COPE-28), the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with the EQ-5D questionnaire, and the neurological and functional status using the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Barthel Index (BI), modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and Stroke Impact Scale-16 (SIS-16). Bivariate analyses and multivariate linear regression models were used. EVT patients were the ones that showed better neurological and functional outcomes, and more patients presented reporting no pain/discomfort at 3 months, paradoxically, problem-focused coping strategies were found to be significantly higher in patients treated with BMT at 1 year.