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Most physicians in general, and family physicians in particular, are familiar with certain parameters when ordering a hematological study, such as hemoglobin (including hematocrit and its features), leukocytes (including lymphocytes) and platelets. Nevertheless, there are two values that we use to overlook which are eosinophils and basophils. Specifically, eosinophils have a tendency to increase with allergic pathology. This article focuses on this type of cells, helping to interpret the values obtained and highlighting their importance in two of the most frequent respiratory pathologies in primary care: asthma and COPD. In addition to observing how the increase or normality of these parameters condition the diagnosis, phenotype and even the treatment., (Copyright © 2024 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To describe the perceptions and daily experiences of primary care (PC) physicians in dealing with the lack of therapeutic adherence in patients with cardiovascular risk, as well as their expectations and possible areas for improvement., Material and Methods: A qualitative study (within the framework of the REAAP project: Network of Experts in Adherence in Primary Care) carried out in several autonomous communities in Spain using an open-ended questionnaire completed by PC physicians and analyzed using the framework analysis method to guide the coding of the topics., Results: Eighteen physicians participated, and three main themes were identified from their responses: an approach to adherence during clinical practice, barriers that hinder the appropriate adherence, and interventions to improve it. The strategies most frequently mentioned to facilitate patients' therapeutic adherence were improving physician-patient communication and continuity of care, involving community pharmacies, and simplifying treatment by prescribing drugs in fixed combinations., Conclusions: There is no single ideal strategy to facilitate therapeutic adherence, and it is necessary to combine several interventions to optimize it. The first step is to understand the problems and the tools available. Initiatives such as the REAAP project are an important means to improve patient adherence, and for healthcare personnel to recognize the importance that this issue deserves., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

In Spain, the largest human West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak among humans was reported in 2020, constituting the second most important outbreak in Europe that season. Extremadura (southwestern Spain) was one of the affected areas, reporting six human cases. The first autochthonous human case in Spain was reported in Extremadura in 2004, and no other human cases were reported until 2020. In this work, we describe the first WNV human outbreak registered in Extremadura, focusing on the most important clinical aspects, diagnostic results, and control actions which followed. In 2020, from September to October, human WNV infections were diagnosed using a combination of molecular and serological methods (an in-house specific qRT-PCR and a commercial ELISA for anti-WNV IgM and IgG antibodies) and by analysing serum, urine, and/or cerebrospinal fluid samples. Serological positive serum samples were further tested using commercial kits against related flaviviruses Usutu and Tick-borne encephalitis in order to analyse serological reactivity and to confirm the results by neutralisation assays. In total, six cases of WNV infection (five with neuroinvasive disease and one with fever) were identified. Clinical presentation and laboratory findings are described. No viral RNA was detected in any of the analysed samples, but serological cross-reactivity was detected against the other tested flaviviruses. Molecular and serological methods for WNV detection in various samples as well as differential diagnosis are recommended. The largest number of human cases of WNV infection ever registered in Extremadura, Spain, occurred in 2020 in areas where circulation of WNV and other flaviviruses has been previously reported in humans and animals. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance surveillance not only for the early detection and implementation of response measures for WNV but also for other emerging flaviviruses that could be endemic in this area., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Macias, Martín, Pérez-Olmeda, Fernández-Martínez, Gómez-Barroso, Fernández, Ramos, Herrero, Rodríguez, Delgado, Sánchez-Seco, Galán, Corbacho, Jimenez, Montero-Peña, Valle and Vázquez.)

The population with obesity has increased at an alarming rate during this century. Bariatric surgery has been demonstrated to be a good method to control weight and, most importantly, associated comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus or high blood pressure. The reason why this happens even before losing significant weight remains unclear. Many authors believe that incretins play a main role, triggering special functions of the digestive tract. In reports, these hypotheses are known as foregut and hindgut theories. Initially, the theories were mutually exclusive; additionally, many other propositions have been analysed, according to different surgical techniques (e.g., bile acids and specific enterohormonal components). To elucidate the participation of the ileum, we developed a surgical technique to study the rapid response to nutrients in the ileum. Our goal was to study the stress functional test and histological changes in the pancreas that may explain the variations in glycaemic homeostasis in our rat model. After the oral glucose tolerance test, the experimental group presented an increased insulin release response with conserved glycaemia. We report an increasing beta-cell mass in the experimental group (+11.87 mg vs. +9.65 mg, respectively), while alpha-cell mass was not different. Based on transcription factors, the pathways that were increased were the proliferation process (as the number of PCNA-positive cells in the experimental group versus sham (+12.06 vs. +6.2 PCNA+ cells/mm²)) and transdifferentiation (ARX; +2.67 ARX+ cells/mm² in the experimental group vs. +2.04 ARX+ cells/mm² in the controls). We report the consequences of the rapid arrival of nonprocessed nutrients to the ileum on the endocrine cellular pancreas. The ileum could be a principal effector in the enterohormonal axis, which conditions endocrine pancreas cellularity., (©The Author(s) 2023. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY International License.)