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Copyright of Medicina (Buenos Aires) is the property of Medicina (Buenos Aires) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Medicina (Buenos Aires) is the property of Medicina (Buenos Aires) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The main functions of the endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff are to prevent aspiration and to allow pressurization of the respiratory system. For this purpose, it is essential to maintain adequate pressure inside the cuff, thus reducing the risks for the patient. It is regularly checked using a manometer and is considered the best alternative. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cuff pressure behavior of different ETTs during the simulation of an inflation maneuver using different manometers. Methods: A bench study was performed. Four brands of 8-mm internal diameter single lumen with a Murphy eye ETT with cuff and 3 different brands of manometers were used. In addition, a pulmonary mechanics monitor was connected to the inside of the cuff through the body of the distal end of the ETT. Results: A total of 528 measurements were made on the 4 ETTs. During the complete procedure (connection and disconnection), there was a significant pressure drop of 7 ± 1.4 cm H2O from the initial pressure (Pinitial) (P < .001), of which 6 ± 1.4 cm H2O was lost during connection (difference between Pinitial and Pconnection). The Preconnection value was 19.1 ± 1.6 cm H2O, showing a significant total pressure drop of 11 ± 1.6 cm H2O (difference between Pinitial and Preconnection) (P < .001). The Pfinal mean was 29.6 ± 1.3 cm H2O. Significant differences were found between manometers according to the time of measurement. A similar phenomenon was evidenced when analyzing different ETTs. Conclusions: Significant pressure changes occur secondary to ETT cuff measurement, which has important implications for patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Medicina (Buenos Aires) is the property of Medicina (Buenos Aires) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction and Objectives: South America is one of the regions with the highest rates of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of NAFLD in suburban Argentina. Patients and Methods: The study involved a general community cohort of 993 subjects evaluated sequentially with a comprehensive lifestyle questionnaire, laboratory testing, abdominal ultrasound (US) and transient elastography with XL probe. NAFLD was diagnosed according to standard criteria. Results: The prevalence of NAFLD by the US was 37.2% (326/875) overall, 50.3% in subjects with overweight/ obesity, 58.6% with hypertriglyceridemia, 62.3% with diabetes/hyperglycemia and 72.1% with all three risk factors. Male gender (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.03−1.47, p = 0.029), age (50−59 years: OR 1.98, 95 CI 1.16−3.39, p = 0.013 and ≥60 years: OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.13−3.09, p = 0.015), BMI (25−29: OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.86−4.51, p<0.001 and ≥30: OR 9.57, 95% CI 6.14−15.20, p<0.001), diabetes/hyperglycemia (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.05−2.61, p = 0.029) and hypertriglyceridemia (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.20−2.48, p = 0.002) were independent predictors of NAFLD. Among patients with steatosis, 22.2% (69/311) had ≥F2 fibrosis (overweight 25%, hypertriglyceridemia 32%, diabetes/hyperglycemia 34%). BMI (OR 5.22, 95% CI 2.64−11.74, p<0.001), diabetes/hyperglycemia (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.05−4.29, p = 0.04) and hypertriglyceridemia (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.03−3.68, p = 0.040) were independent predictors of liver fibrosis. Conclusions: This general population study from Argentina showed a high prevalence of NAFLD. Significant liver fibrosis was present in 22% of subjects with NAFLD. This information adds to the existing knowledge of NAFLD epidemiology in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been reported that significant variability in the ethics review process affects multisite studies. We analyzed 1,305 applications for multicenter studies (409 unique protocols), from 1st January 2020 to 20th September 2021. We examined the variability in the times to approval and the first observation and the variation in the level of risk assigned. The median [IQR] variabilities were 42.19 [15.23–82.36] days and 8.00 [3.12–16.68] days, for the times to approval and to the first observation, respectively. There was disagreement in the level of risk assigned by the Research Ethics Committee (REC) in 24.0% of cases. Independent predictors of variability included the number of REC members. In our study, we found substantial variability in the ethics review process among health research protocols. Also, we describe methods to readily measure the delays and the variations in the ethics review process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1 January 2020, the Central Research Ethics Committee of the Health Ministry implemented PRIISA.BA, an in-house developed electronic system for online submission of health research applications to the 63 public and private research ethics committees (RECs) of Buenos Aires City, Argentina. This study though to compare the times to first review and the time to approval among applications submitted prior to PRIISA.BA and thereafter, across public RECs. All public RECs of the city were invited to participate. Overall, 453 applications from 10 RECs (242 pre- and 211 post-PRIISA.BA) were available for the analyses. There was a decrease in the time to first review and an increase in the time to approval after PRIISA.BA implementation. The increase in time to approval was transient and limited to the first three months. The results were consistent with analyses limited to non-COVID applications. Our results show an increase in the times to approval after the implementation of an electronic system for online submission of health research applications that, although transient, was significant. These data could be relevant to other RECs implementing this technology since it emphasizes the need of monitoring potential unnecessary delays in reviews during the critical initial period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]