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The relationship between ethics and artificial intelligence in medicine is a crucial and complex topic that falls within its broader context. Ethics in medical artificial intelligence (AI) involves ensuring that technologies are safe, fair, and respect patient privacy. This includes concerns about the accuracy of diagnoses provided by artificial intelligence, fairness in patient treatment, and protection of personal health data. Advances in artificial intelligence can significantly improve healthcare, from more accurate diagnoses to personalized treatments. However, it is essential that developments in medical artificial intelligence are carried out with strong ethical consideration, involving healthcare professionals, artificial intelligence experts, patients, and ethics specialists to guide and oversee their implementation. Finally, transparency in artificial intelligence algorithms and ongoing training for medical professionals are fundamental., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna (SEMI). All rights reserved.)

Introduction: There are studies that evaluate the association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) but there is little evidence regarding the prognosis of this comorbidity in older patients admitted for acute HF. In addition, little attention has been given to the extracardiac and extrapulmonary symptoms presented by patients with HF and COPD in more advanced stages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of COPD on mortality in elderly patients with acute and advanced HF and the clinical manifestations and management from a palliative point of view. Methods: The EPICTER study (“Epidemiological survey of advanced heart failure”) is a cross-sectional, multicenter project that consecutively collected patients admitted for HF in 74 Spanish hospitals. Demographic, clinical, treatment, organ-dependent terminal criteria (NYHA III-IV, LVEF <20%, intractable angina, HF despite optimal treatment), and general terminal criteria (estimated survival <6 months, patient/family acceptance of palliative approach, and one of the following: evidence of HF progression, multiple Emergency Room visits or admissions in the last six months, 10% weight loss in the last six months, and functional impairment) were collected. Terminal HF was considered if the patient met at least one organ-dependent criterion and all the general criteria. Both groups (HF with COPD and without COPD) were compared. A Kaplan−Meier survival analysis was performed to evaluate the presence of COPD on the vital prognosis of patients with HF. Results: A total of 3100 patients were included of which 812 had COPD. In the COPD group, dyspnea and anxiety were more frequently observed (86.2% vs. 75.3%, p = 0.001 and 35.4% vs. 31.2%, p = 0.043, respectively). In patients with a history of COPD, presentation of HF was in the form of acute pulmonary edema (21% vs. 14.4% in patients without COPD, p = 0.0001). Patients with COPD more frequently suffered from advanced HF (28.9% vs. 19.4%; p < 0.001). Consultation with the hospital palliative care service during admission was more frequent when patients with HF presented with associated COPD (94% vs. 6.8%; p = 0.036). In-hospital and six-month follow-up mortality was 36.5% in patients with COPD vs. 30.7% in patients without COPD, p = 0.005. The mean number of hospital admissions during follow-up was higher in patients with HF and COPD than in those with isolated HF (0.63 ± 0.98 vs. 0.51 ± 0.84; p < 0.002). Survival analysis showed that patients with a history of COPD had fewer survival days during follow-up than those without COPD (log Rank chi-squared 4.895 and p = 0.027). Conclusions: patients with HF and COPD had more severe symptoms (dyspnea and anxiety) and also a worse prognosis than patients without COPD. However, the prognosis of patients admitted to our setting is poor and many patients with HF and COPD may not receive the assessment and palliative care support they need. Palliative care is necessary in chronic non-oncologic diseases, especially in multipathologic and symptom-intensive patients. This is a clinical care aspect to be improved and evaluated in future research studies.

Background: Since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wuhan, the nutritional status of individuals infected with the virus has not been included in the risk profiles prepared. However, nutritional status, along with other factors, is decisive in the evolution of patients with other infectious diseases. The nutritional status of individuals is considered an indicator of health status. Furthermore, optimal nutritional status transcends the individual, and poor diet in a population can be considered a group risk factor. Evidence exists on the influence that diet has on the immune system and susceptibility to disease., Objective: To evaluate the nutritional status of patients older than 65 years who were admitted due to COVID-19 and how this has influenced the evolution of patients., Design: This prospective and observational study was performed in patients with COVID-19 infection confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Data were collected from the first 24 h of admission. All patients admitted during one month to the wards assigned to COVID-19 infection were included., Results: A total of 83 patients were studied. The statistical study of mortality showed associations with age ( p  = .005), living in a nursing home ( p  = .022), a high Charlson Comorbidity Index ( p  = .039), hypertension ( p  = .032), comorbidities of dementia ( p  = .019) and cerebral vascular disease ( p  = .041), and Barthel Index ( p  = .010). The analysis of the influence of the nutritional state on mortality revealed a statistical association between malnutrition and mortality in the pooled data analysis ( p  = .005) and analysis by degrees of malnutrition ( p  = .27)., Conclusions: Malnutrition was a risk factor as powerful as others such as hypertension, age, and different comorbidities. We must evaluate and treat the nutritional status of elderly patients with COVID-19 infection since it directly affects their evolution.

Aims: Few studies have evaluated how physicians prioritize renal function among other patient-related factors when stepping-up in antidiabetic treatment., Methods: The REDIM Spanish national online survey included 550 internists. We firstly tested proficiency in chronic kidney disease (Agrawal's Questionnaire) and motivation in diabetes (DAS-3p Questionnaire). We then analyzed how physicians prioritized renal function, age, weight, glycemic control, non-renal co-morbidities and patient perceptions in five varying fictitious clinical scenarios (generic; ambulatory vs. high cardiovascular risk hospitalized patient, for estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs)=50 vs. 25 ml/min/1.73 m(2)). We assigned every item a score (from 5 to 0, highest to lowest relevance) per-physician and compared mean values between clinical scenarios using the t-test for independent means (nominal significance at p<0.05)., Results: Completion rate was 57.5% (N=316; mean age, 46.3 years; men, 71%). Average scores were 22.6 ± 3.9 (possible range [0-30]) for Agrawal's Questionnaire and 4.1 ± 0.6 (range [1-5]) for DAS-3p Questionnaire. In the generic scenario, renal function had the highest priority (mean=3.36 ± 1.66, range [0-5]). When eGFR was set at 50 ml/min/1.73 m(2), physicians prioritized glycemic control for ambulatory (mean=3.23 ± 1.59) and non-renal co-morbidities for hospitalized patients (mean=3.20 ± 1.68) over renal function (mean=3.18 ± 1.77 for ambulatory, p=0.032; mean=3.11 ± 1.65 for hospitalized patients, p=0.002). When eGFR was subsequently lowered to 25 ml/min/1.73 m(2), renal function again led priorities (mean values=3.73 ± 2.05 for ambulatory and 3.75 ± 1.96 for hospitalized patients; both p<0.001)., Conclusions: Knowledge of the degree of renal function impairment induced physicians to prioritize patient-related factors differently when adding a second antidiabetic drug. Renal function led priorities when severely impaired., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The antiphospholipid syndrome is an antibody mediated hypercoagulable state characterized by recurrent venous and arterial thromboembolic events. Several studies have determined that the frequency of antiphospholipid syndrome in patients presenting with a venous thromboembolic event is between 4% and 14%. Classical criteria include the presence of anticardiolipin antibody or lupus anticoagulant with typical complications of thrombosis or pregnancy loss. Other common associated manifestations include livedo reticularis, thrombocytopenia, valvular heart disease, and nephropathy with renal insufficiency, hypertension and proteinuria. Because of the high risk for recurrent thromboembolism in these patients, current recommendations suggest a longer, potentially lifelong, course of antithrombotic therapy following an initial event. For an initial venous thromboembolic event, a target INR of 2.0 to 3.0 is supported by two prospective, randomized clinical trials. In contrast, relatively limited data exist for an initial arterial thromboembolic event in patients who have the antiphospholipid syndrome, and therapeutic recommendations range from aspirin to warfarin with a high target INR. Recurrent thromboembolic events can be extremely difficult to treat, and some patients may benefit from the addition of immunosuppressive therapies. It is very important to evaluate in this setting additional, coincident prothrombotic risk factors.

Antibiotic treatment of urinary tract infections in adults is usually empirical, and use of urine culture is an exception. The choice of antibiotic is normally made based on the results of published case studies (positive urine cultures), which are used to determine the most probable etiology and likely antimicrobial susceptibility. The results of studies published in recent years were reviewed, detailing the differences in relation to the place of residence and characteristics of the patients, and any temporary trends. In lower urinary tract infections in patients without risk factors, treatment must mainly cover Escherichia coli. Nevertheless, in complicated urinary tract infections or in patients with risk factors, the available clinical epidemiological data do not provide for safe empirical choice of antibiotic without the use of urine culture. There has been a reduction in the susceptibility of E. coli to various antibiotics, and this shows wide geographic variations; the reduction in the activity of fluoroquinolones could limit its empirical use in the future.

Objective: To report the variability in antibiotic prescribing habits for patients diagnosed of non-specified acute respiratory infections (ARI) (according to the International Classification of Diseases 9MC) at Emergency Departments of ten Spanish hospitals, and to evaluate the appropriateness of antimicrobial prescription for such patients, after specifically elaborating some reference patterns for appropriate antimicrobial use., Design: Descriptive study of variability in clinical practice by means of a prospective series of cases. Study of appropriateness by means of elaborating reference standards for appropriate use and comparison with the data from the descriptive study with such standards., Duration: six months., Setting: Emergency Department in ten Spanish hospitals from different autonomic communities: Andalucía, Islas Canarias, Castilla-León, Cataluña, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia and Valencia for a 6-month period., Patients: Patients with the diagnosis of community ARI attended at emergency departments., Sample Size: 903 cases., Interventions: Collection of cases in a unified database with the following variables: age, sex, ARI type, diagnosis of comorbidity, prescribed antimicrobial, hospital admission and type of prescriber. A panel of experts was commissioned to elaborate the gold standards for the appropriate use of antibiotics or the lack of indication for the different locations of ARI., Results: The adjusted proportion of the inappropriate prescription for the group with laryngo-tracheal-influenza-rhinopharyngitis-multiple ARI or non specified infections was 67.9%., Conclusions: Concerning antibiotic prescription, significant inter-center variability and relevant heterogeneity were observed.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the complications and results of the laparoscopic opposite to open treatment of the acute cholecystitis., Methods: A retrospective randomized study with two groups of 30 patients each one. The parameters tested were age, sex, risk factors, surgical time, hospital stay, cholecystitis type, and early or late complications., Results: In the two groups there were no significant differences in age, sex, risk factors, type of cholecystitis and surgical time. The average of hospital stay was significantly longer for open cholecystectomy (9.5) than for laparoscopic technique (2.30) (p < 0.001). The complication rate was higher (7.30%) in open cholecystectomy., Conclusions: The laparoscopic cholecystectomy should be the standard procedure for the treatment of the acute cholecystitis.

Objective: The morbid obesity is a serious polysystematic disease to which it is necessary to offer a surgical solution when the conservative alternatives fail., Methods: In a period of five years, 50 patients with vertical ring gastroplasty (VRG) have been evaluated and protocolized in the program of surgery of the morbid obesity, with an average weight of 134.3 kg corresponding to an overweight and body mass index (BMI) average respectively, of 69.7 kg and 49.8 kg/m2., Results: The early morbidity has been scarce and the postoperative average stay of 7 days. The decrease of the percentage of weight, overweight and BMI was maximum 2 years later, with losses of 52 kg, with a percentage of loss of average overweight of 76.8% and a fall of 21 points in the BMI; however there was a partial recovery of the indexes in the following years. The accompanying pathology was solved in the period of studied time, although 84% of the patients referred vomits and practically 100% dietary limitations., Conclusions: The gastroplasty is a quick, simple technique and of scare morbimortality, although it is being subjected to criticism for the restrictions in the diet, quality of life and disruptions of the line of clamped. However, nowadays there is not a consensus on the ideal bariatric solution, and as a surgical alternative, the vertical gastroplasty can represent one of the techniques of choice for certain selected types of serious obesity.

In 1964 Sweet described a new syndrome which was characterized by pyrexia, neutrophilia, and the abrupt appearance of erythematous, painful, cutaneous plaques, primarily on the upper extremities, head, and neck. Histologically, the prominent feature is a dense dermal infiltrate of neutrophils, without signs of vasculitis, with a prompt response to steroid therapy. Since then up to 150 cases have been reported, being actually considered an immune mechanism responsible of this syndrome and we now have criterions for the diagnosis of it. We report a patient with Sweet's syndrome (SS): who has all the diagnostic criterions, whose main interest is having suffered from erythema nodosum three years before; this is the second case we have found in the English literature, and we also discuss some peculiarities.