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Background: Among the clinical predictors of a heart failure (HF) prognosis, different personal factors have been established in previous research, mainly age, gender, anemia, renal insufficiency and diabetes, as well as mediators (pulmonary embolism, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), arrhythmias and dyslipidemia). We do not know the role played by contextual and individual factors in the prediction of in-hospital mortality. Methods: The present study has added hospital and management factors (year, type of hospital, length of stay, number of diagnoses and procedures, and readmissions) in predicting exitus to establish a structural predictive model. The project was approved by the Ethics Committee of the province of Almeria. Results: A total of 529,606 subjects participated, through databases of the Spanish National Health System. A predictive model was constructed using correlation analysis (SPSS 24.0) and structural equation models (SEM) analysis (AMOS 20.0) that met the appropriate statistical values (chi-square, usually fit indices and the root-mean-square error approximation) which met the criteria of statistical significance. Individual factors, such as age, gender and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, were found to positively predict mortality risk. Isolated contextual factors (hospitals with a greater number of beds, especially, and also the number of procedures performed, which negatively predicted the risk of death. Conclusions: It was, therefore, possible to introduce contextual variables to explain the behavior of mortality in patients with HF. The size or level of large hospital complexes, as well as procedural effort, are key contextual variables in estimating the risk of mortality in HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study aim was to analyze the relationship between functional thyroid pathology and the exposure to work shifts / night shifts, and describe the most prevalent thyroid disorders based on the type of shift., Methodology: Cross-sectional study performed in the emergency department of a hospital in Almeria (Spain). Relationships between thyroxine and thyrotropin levels (TSH) and work shifts, professional category and history of thyroid pathology were analyzed., Results: The study included 133 workers; 80.5% female, average age was 46.11 years (38 - 65), and 52% were part of the nursing staff; thyroid disorders were more frequent in female participants. Most participants (81.2%) had rotating shifts schedules and 11.3% night shifts (12.1% female and 7.7% male). Thyroid alterations were found in 27% of the participants (usually elevated TSH levels and normal thyroxine levels), particularly in those doing night shifts (61.1%). TSH alterations were more frequent in individuals doing night shifts than in rotating shifts (53.3 vs 13.0%; p<0.001). Individuals working night shifts had mean TSH values in the normal range, although significantly higher than the individuals in the rest of the shifts; thyroxine levels were found to be similar. No thyroid disorders were found in day shift participants. Night shift and a history of thyroid pathology were independent predictors of thyroid disorders., Conclusions: Night shift schedules and history of thyroid disorders are more frequent in female, both related to the presence of thyroid disorders, indicating the need to include the evaluation of these disorders in health surveillance programs and analyze gender differences.

Main Objective: To evaluate the clinical response at 24weeks after injection, measured as pain relief and functional recovery, in painful shoulder syndrome (PSS) in primary care (PC)., Design: Longitudinal case series with injection treatment in the scapulohumeral joint, describing functionality and pain evolution before and at 24weeks post injection., Location: Non-urban primary care centres., Participants: Patients with osteoarticular shoulder pathology susceptible to injection, failure of pharmacological treatment and rating on the visual analogue scale (VAS) ≥4 or constant score (CS) ≤70., Interventions: Intra-articular injection of corticosteroid and local anaesthetic into the scapulohumeral joint, describing its evolution at 1, 4, 12 and 24weeks post injection., Main Measurements: Infiltration response according to EVA before and after, CS before and after, number of infiltrations, side effects, temporary inability to work (TIL)., Results: Sixty-six patients receiving injection, mean age 51.1years (SD 14.7), 57.6% were women and 63.3% were injection in the right shoulder. A 22.7% required TIL and were discharged with a median of 14days (range 7-56days). They required an injection (80.3%) and the most frequent injection pathology was rotator cuff tendinitis (90.9%). They suffered mild side effects (9.4%). We found a decrease in pain from severe to mild and a functional improvement from poor to good. The variables: being retired (OR: 37.82, P=.001) and having an EVA score prior to injection >8 (OR: 15.67, P=.055, almost significant) were associated with poor response., Conclusions: Intra-articular administration of corticosteroids in PSS reduces pain and provides functional improvement after the first week after injection, and is maintained in the long term. This allows a quick recovery to work after an injection at two weeks reducing recovery time by 50%, with few side effects., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To describe the minor surgery (MS) characteristics in a Primary Care (PC) centre, and to evaluate the clinical pathological concordance and patient satisfaction., Design: Descriptive and retrospective study., Setting: Primary Care, urban health care centre, Almería, Spain., Participants: The population were the patients belonging to urban Primary Health Care centre, referred by their family physicians or paediatricians for the performing of MS during year 2013, and who consented to the intervention. A sample of 223 patients was obtained., Main Measurements: Variables analysed were: sex, age, locations of the lesions, type of intervention, clinical diagnosis, histopathology diagnosis, complications, and patient satisfaction. The data were extracted from the medical history, the histopathology reports, and by using a satisfaction questionnaire completed by post or telephone by the patients., Results: The population consisted of 53.8% males, and had a mean age of 51.12 years (SD 19.02). The location of the most intervened lesions was in the head (35.4%). Electro-surgery was the most used procedure (62.8%), with only 16.9% of the lesions being biopsied, of which the most frequent was fibroids (32.3%). The clinical pathological concordance was >80% and the Kappa index was 0.783 (P<.001). The complications presented were low. The patient's satisfaction was high., Conclusions: Although a simple MS technique like electro-surgery has become more extensive, MS in PC remains safe and satisfactory for the user., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To find out the magnitude of violence against female partners among patients who visit their family doctor. To study frequency and acceptance of its investigation by the family doctor and to assess the effectiveness of a screening question on abuse., Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional study., Setting: Primary care, 4 samples from 2 urban health centres in Jaén, Spain., Participants: Who participated 170 women randomly selected from the female consulting population., Measurements: Interviews by means of the Bradley modified test and the anxiety and depression Goldberg scales. Perceived health, frequency of detection of domestic violence, by the family doctor, and female opinions were also studied., Results: During the last year, abuse against women was detected in 22.9% of the female population consulting their family doctor (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 16.6-29.2). Abused women had a worse perception of health (odds ratio [OR] =4.2; 95% CI, 1.02-17.5) and a higher probability of depression (OR=4.7; 95% CI, 1.8-12.5) independently from the rest of variables. The question "How are the things going with your partner?" as a screening of abuse does obtain a positive probability quotient of 6.23 (95% CI, 3.6-10.9), a specificity of 89% and a negative predictive value of 90%. Of those interviewed, 96.5% would not mind if their family doctor approached the couple's relationships, a situation that occurs in 24.7% of cases., Conclusions: Some degree of abuse was detected in almost a quarter of women who consult their family doctor. Family doctors do not usually ask about family and partner relationships and environment, although for almost all women it is well appreciated and the item has an increased likelihood ratio and high negative predictive value in detecting abuse.