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Objectives: A quantitative biomarker for identification of pre‐frail and frail persons is still lacking. This study aimed to identify biomarker predictors of frailty in HIV‐infected patients. Methods: A cross‐sectional study of HIV‐infected patients who had been on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for at least 1 year and who presented an undetectable viral load (< 50 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL) at baseline was carried out. For each frail patient, up to four pre‐frail and robust patients were randomly selected. The frailty status assessment was based on the five‐item criteria described by Fried et al. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical and HIV‐related characteristics were evaluated. Multiple potential biomarkers of frailty and a biological age biomarker were analysed. Results: A total of 73 HIV‐infected patients on ART for at least 1 year were evaluated. The patients were categorized as robust (n = 33), pre‐frail (n = 32) and frail (n = 8) using the Fried criteria. All patients were on ART, with 100% undetectable viral load (< 50 copies/mL) at baseline. No significant differences in demographic, clinical or analytical characteristics were observed among patients in the different categories based on Fried criteria, with the exception of the veterans aging cohort study index (VACS). Similarly, no differences were observed in HIV‐related characteristics, although nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) use was less common in frail persons. The distribution of biomarker values varied according to frailty status, with frail persons having higher levels of interleukin (IL)‐8, IL‐18, CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) and retinol‐binding protein 4 (RBP4). In multivariable analysis, the assocation of frailty with RBP4 showed a tendency to statistical significance (odds ratio 1.0; 95% confidence interval 0.99–1.00; P < 0.05). Conclusions: Differential biomarker expression was present according to Fried status. Longitudinal studies will clarify the utility of these biomarkers as targets for diagnostic or therapeutic intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined the trends in the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) mortality in Spain from 1981-2010. The researchers gathered data on SLE deaths from the National Statistics Institute of Spain. They found that overall age-standardized SLE mortality rate in 1981 reached 1.82 per million and 2.24 per million in 2010. They indicated the increase in the overall-age standardized SLE mortality rate from 1981-1999 and the stabilization of mortality rate from 2000-2010.

Introduction: Stroke mortality has declined in recent decades, but there appears to be a slowdown in the decline in recent years. We analyze the trends in stroke mortality in La Rioja (Spain) for the period 1999-2022., Methods: We evaluated stroke mortality using statistical data from the mortality registry of La Rioja (Spain). We adjusted the rates by age and sex and analyzed both overall strokes and subtypes: hemorrhagic and ischemic. To analyze the trend in mortality rates we constructed joinpoint regression models, with associated annual percentage change (APC) RESULTS: Age-standardized stroke mortality declined between 1999 and 2022: females from 98.0 to 29.2 per 100 000; males, from 131.6 to 44.8 per 100 000. We found a decrease in overall stroke mortality in all age groups, except those under 65 years old. Ischemic stroke mortality showed declines in the first decade (APC: 7.3%, CI95%: 4.1-19.1%) and increases in the second decade (APC: 1.6%, CI95%: -1.6-11.7%) among men. In women, the rates declined between 2018 and 2022(APC: -6.6%, CI95%: -5.1-30.6%) after an increase between 2015 and 2017 (APC: 23.5%, CI95%: -20.2-38.3%). For hemorrhagic stroke, we found a consistent rate of decline throughout the entire time period in men (APC: 2.4%, CI95%: 0.9 a 4.0%). In women, rates increased during the period 1999-2009(APC: 1.9%, CI95%: -2.1-22.8%) and decreased 2010-2022 (APC: 6.5%, CI95%: 4.0-25.6%)., Conclusions: Stroke mortality rates have decreased, more so for haemorrhagic than ischaemic strokes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no financial or other conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the European Union, a rate of 11.9 cases per 100,000 was estimated in 2019.In Spain, suicide is the leading cause of external death. Social crises can have an impact on suicide rates. We analyzed changes in suicide mortality trends in Spain following the COVID-19 pandemic. We used statistical data from the National Institute of Statistics of Spain (1998-2021). We calculated age-specific rates, age and sex-adjusted rates, and analyzed trends and changes using joinpoint-regression models. Rates decrease in both sexes at the ages of 65 and older. In women, they increase in the ages of 1-29 years and 45-59 years. In men, they decrease in the ages of 15-39 years. Among women, age-adjusted rates remained stable between 1998 and 2021, with a non-significant annual decrease of 0.4 %. Among men, there was a significant annual decrease of 0.7 %. The years 2020 and 2021 had 8 % higher mortality compared to the two years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Suicide mortality in Spain slightly decreased among men and remained stable among women between 1998 and 2021, but there seems to be an increase following the COVID-19 pandemic., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The state of alarm was declared in Spain due to the COVID-19 epidemic on March 14, 2020, and established population confinement measures. The objective is to describe the process of lifting these mitigation measures., Methods: The Plan for the Transition to a New Normality, approved on April 28, contained four sequential phases with progressive increase in socio-economic activities and population mobility. In parallel, a new strategy for early diagnosis, surveillance and control was implemented. A bilateral decision mechanism was established between the Spanish Government and the autonomous communities (AC), guided by a set of qualitative and quantitative indicators capturing the epidemiological situation and core capacities. The territorial units were established ad-hoc and could be from Basic Health Zones to entire AC., Results: The process run from May 4 to June 21, 2020. AC implemented plans for reinforcement of core capacities. Incidence decreased from a median (50% of territories) of 7.4 per 100,000 in 7 days at the beginning to 2.5 at the end. Median PCR testing increased from 53% to 89% of suspected cases and PCR total capacity from 4.5 to 9.8 per 1000 inhabitants weekly; positivity rate decreased from 3.5% to 1.8%. Median proportion of cases with traced contacts increased from 82% to 100%., Conclusion: Systematic data collection, analysis, and interterritorial dialogue allowed adequate process control. The epidemiological situation improved but, mostly, the process entailed a great reinforcement of core response capacities nation-wide, under common criteria. Maintaining and further reinforcing capacities remained crucial for responding to future waves., (Copyright © 2021 Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Stroke remains an important health challenge. Here, we study whether circulating chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 (CCL5) levels may predict clinical outcomes for stroke patients. A total of 100 consecutive stroke patients (36 acute ischemic and 64 hemorrhagic) were admitted to the stroke unit. Clinical history data and monitoring parameters were recorded. Blood serum was collected at days 0, 1, and hospital discharge to measure CCL5 levels by ELISA. Infarct or hemorrhagic volume, neurological severity (NIHSS), and functional prognosis (mRankin scale) were measured as clinical outcomes. CCL5 levels were lower in patients with hemorrhagic stroke than in patients with acute ischemic stroke. No differences were found between females and males in both types of stroke. Ischemic stroke patients whose infarct volume grew had lower CCL5 levels at day 0. Levels of CCL5 in ischemic and hemorrhagic patients were not associated with more severe symptoms/worse prognosis (NIHSS > 3; mRankin > 2) at admission or at 3 months. CCL5 could be used as a diagnostic marker to distinguish between ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Furthermore, CCL5 levels could predict the infarct volume outcomes in ischemic patients.

The assessment of cancer survival at the population level is essential for monitoring progress in cancer control. We aimed to assess cancer survival and its trends in adults in Spain. Individual records of 601,250 adults with primary cancer diagnosed during 2002-2013 and followed up to 2015 were included from 13 population-based cancer registries. We estimated net survival up to five years after diagnosis and analyzed absolute changes between 2002-2007 and 2008-2013. Estimates were age-standardized. Analyses were performed for 29 cancer groups, by age and sex. Overall, age-standardized five-year net survival was higher in women (61.7%, 95% CI 61.4-62.1%) than in men (55.3%, 95% CI 55.0-55.6%), and ranged by cancer from 7.2% (pancreas) to 89.6% (prostate) in men, and from 10.0% (pancreas) to 93.1% (thyroid) in women in the last period. Survival declined with age, showing different patterns by cancer. Between both periods, age-standardized five-year net survival increased overall by 3.3% (95% CI 3.0-3.7%) in men and 2.5% (95% CI 2.0-3.0%) in women, and for most cancer groups. Improvements were greater in patients younger than 75 years than in older patients. Chronic myeloid leukemia and myeloma showed the largest increases. Among the most common malignancies, the greatest absolute increases in survival were observed for colon (5.0%, 95% CI 4.0-6.0%) and rectal cancers (4.5%, 95% CI 3.2-5.9%). Survival improved even for some cancers with poor prognosis (pancreas, esophagus, lung, liver, and brain cancer). Further investigation of possible sociodemographic inequalities is warranted. This study contributes to the evaluation of cancer control and health services' effectiveness.

Traditionally, epidemiological surveillance has focused on infectious diseases, but the concept of Public Health surveillance, introduced in Spain with the Law 33/2011, is broader and includes chronic diseases. Health strategies for these diseases need epidemiological information to improve understanding of socio-health needs and to facilitate the efficient management of resources. The European Union defines rare diseases (RD) as those that, being life-threatening or chronically debilitating, have a prevalence of less than 5 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. The RD Strategy of the National Health System, approved in 2009 and updated in 2014, recommends the development of regional registries of rare diseases (RAER), in addition to a national registry. The REpIER and Spain-RDR projects of the Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII) promoted the creation and regulation of 94% of the RAER. After more than 10 years of initiatives and work to improve the knowledge of RD's epidemiology in Spain, it was possible to implement the Spanish Registry of Rare Diseases (ReeR) in 2015, becoming one of the first population surveillance systems for chronic diseases of state scope. The ReeR procedures manual is the result of consensus between the RAER, the Ministry of Health, the ISCIII and the patient associations. The participatory methodology used for the implementation and launching of ReeR is considered an added value. The information system implemented will allow improving knowledge about the prevalence and distribution of RD in Spain.

Background: Rare diseases are a priority objective for public health systems. Given its complexity, late and misdiagnoses occur very often which causes mental and physical burden for patients and family. This would be caused, in part, for unprepared clinicians in this field. The aim of this study was to report the training needs and the perceived shortcomings of Spanish physicians of the public health system in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients with rare diseases., Methods: We used a descriptive cross-sectional study through an "ad hoc" survey of 26 questions was completed by 132 primary care physicians and 37 specialists during April and May 2018., Results: Less than a third of the physicians had received training in rare disease during their undergraduate or postgraduate years, and for hospital professionals, they received more training in the postgraduate period., Conclusion: Primary care physicians and specialists showed low training level in rare diseases. An academical and continuous program on rare disease, as well as, multidisciplinary units and high quality practice guidelines are necessary to help to prevention and support clinical decisions and improve quality of care of patients and families.

Aim: To analyze the effects of subcutaneous or intravenous rituximab + lymphokine-activated killer cells, obinutuzumab or ibrutinib on natural killer (NK) cell levels in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and follicular lymphoma patients., Patients & Methods: The distribution of peripheral blood NK cells of 31 patients was analyzed by flow cytometry., Results: We detected a decrease of NK cells in peripheral blood below normal range after obinutuzumab treatment. During maintenance treatment with subcutaneous rituximab, an NK cell reduction was less pronounced than after intravenous rituximab treatment, despite lymphokine-activated killer cell infusions., Conclusion: After one dose of obinutuzumab, each NK cell in peripheral blood destroys 25 leukemic cells., Competing Interests: Financial & competing interests disclosure The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript., (© 2019 Ricardo Garcia-Munoz.)

Background: Patients with HIV infection suffer from accelerated aging. In this context, frailty could be a relevant problem that aggravates the quality of life (QoL) and morbi-mortality of these patients. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty in HIV-infected patients in our cohort as well as their risk factors and QoL., Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study of HIV-infected people aged ≥18 years on a stable antiretroviral regimen (ART) ≥1 year. Frailty was defined by ≥3 of 5 Fried's criteria: weight loss, low physical activity, exhaustion, weak grip strength and slow walking time. Variables related to sociodemographics, HIV infection, comorbidities, polypharmacy, and QoL were evaluated. Independent predictors of frailty were evaluated using collinearity in a multivariate logistic regression analyses (backward stepwise elimination)., Results: The 248 people studied has a mean age of 49 years, 63.7% were male, and 81% were Caucasian. The prevalence of pre-frailty and fragility was 39.1% and 4.4%, respectively. The main route of HIV acquisition was heterosexual (47.2%). At the inclusion time 26.6% of the patients had AIDS events, 60.9% were anti-HCV negative, and 91.5% had HIV RNA <50 copies/mL (84.3% for ≥1 year); 10.9% had >2 comorbidities, and 13.3% were receiving >5 non-HIV drugs. Frailty patients had a higher age (p 0.006), more sensitive deficits (visual or auditory) (p 0.002), a greater number of falls during the previous year (p 0.0001), a higher Charlson comorbidity index (p 0.001), and a higher VACS index (p 0.001). All comorbidities, excluding bone and liver, were significantly more frequent in fragile patients. The presence of >2 comorbidities and treatment with >5 drugs not related to HIV they were also more frequent in frail patienst (p 0.0001 and p 0.004, respectively). Independent predictors of pre-frailty/frailty in the multivariable analysis differ in men (VACS index, C-reactive protein [CRP], and falls) and women (CRP, AIDS, and menopause). Patients with pre-frailty/frailty had some indicator of a lower QoL., Conclusion: Factors associated with pre-frailty/frailty in HIV-infected patients differ by gender, which should be considered when establishing measures for prevention. The role of menopause in the risk of pre-frailty/frailty warrants further investigations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: To determine the level of satisfaction and the sociodemographic characteristics of patients who receive epidural analgesia during labour., Material and Methods: A SERVQHOS questionnaire administered, with consecutive sampling, to 140 patients who had received an epidural anaesthetic for pain control during labour between January and June 2014, at the Hospital San Pedro., Results: A total of 140 questionnaires were completed. The mean overall satisfaction (SERVQHOS scale) was 4.4 with standard deviation (SD):±0.9, with the best results being obtained in the subjective ítems: (4.3; SD 0.81) compared to the objective ítems (4; SD: 0.9). The large majority (84.3%) showed satisfaction with the epidural anaesthetic, and 100% would ask for it again. No significant differences were found in epidural satisfaction or pain perception related to socioeconomic variables (age, nationality, employment conditions, education level or marital status). As regards nationality, 119 (85%) were Spanish, and 14.3% (20) of other nationalities, with 1 patient not answering the nationality question. As regards marital status, 79.3% (111) were married, 1.4% (2), single, and 2.9% (4) were widows or separated, and 2.9% (4) did not answer. The mean age was 33.3 years (SD: 4.4). Prior to the administration of the epidural anaesthetic 93.2% of the Spanish citizens group described the pain as severe compared to 95% of the other nationalities group, but this difference had no statistical significance (p=.279)., Conclusion: The level of satisfaction reported by the patients with this technique was high, with subjective items (good manners and trust) being appreciated more., (Copyright © 2016 SECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare disease that consists of a group of neuropathic conditions. Very few epidemiological studies of GBS have been carried out in Spain. The aim of this study was to determine the trends in GBS mortality in the total population of Spain for the period 1999 to 2013., Methods: Data on GBS deaths were drawn from the National Statistics Institute of Spain. Crude and overall age-standardised GBS mortality rates were calculated and joinpoint regression models were used to describe trend changes. Mean age of deceased by GBS each year was also assessed., Results: The overall age-standardised GBS mortality rate was 0.71 per million in 1999 and 0.40 in 2013. It was higher in men, 1.08 vs. 0.42 in 1999 and 0.48 vs. 0.35 in 2013. There was a statistically significant decrease in mortality during the study period. All the age-standardised mortality rates decreased (overall and by gender) from 1999 to 2013. The mean age at death increased with time, from 73 years in 1999 to 77 years in 2013., Conclusions: GBS mortality has improved in Spain during the last 15 years. The age of death has risen and the mortality rate has decreased.

Introduction: PCT has been consolidated as a key tool in the diagnosis of bacterial infections in general population. Few studies have been conducted to determine the applicability of this test in elderly patients., Methods: Study of validity of PCT on elderly patients. Two groups were formed; the first group was formed by patients aged 75 years or older, under bacterial infection criteria and PCT on the initial Lab test. The second group was formed by patients aged 75 years or older with any noninfectious disease; these patients were asked PCT in the initial Lab test. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio were calculated., Results: 161 patients were included, 95 with probable bacterial infection and 66 without infection. Patients with probable bacterial infection criteria, 72% of them had PCT >0.5 ng/mL. Patients without infection, 8% of the patients had PCT >0.5 ng/mL. Sensitivity and specificity of PCT to bacterial infection with the cutoff value of 0.5 ng/mL was 72% and 92%, respectively., Conclusion: PCT can be used in elderly patients to diagnose bacterial infections because it has proved good sensitivity and high specificity., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To analyse the validity of diagnosis of aplastic anaemia (AA) by International Classification of Diseases codes in hospital discharge data (MBDS) and the mortality registry (MR) of La Rioja to detect cases to be included in the Spanish National Rare Diseases Registry., Methods: International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes were used to detect AA cases during the period 2007-2012 from two administrative databases: the MBDS and the MR of La Rioja (Spain). Medical records of population selected by merging both databases were used to confirm true AA cases. The annual mean incidence rate of AA was calculated using confirmed incident cases., Results: By merging both databases, 62 hypothetical AA incident patients were detected during the period 2007-2012. The medical records of the 89% of them could be revised, and they confirmed that only the 15% of the patients actually suffered AA. The annual mean AA incidence in La Rioja was 4.17 per million inhabitants (6.23 per million, males; 2.10 per million, females)., Conclusions: The MBDS and the MR are not in themselves sufficient to ascertain AA cases in La Rioja and medical records should be reviewed to confirm true AA cases to be included in the Spanish National Rare Diseases Registry., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Rationale, Aims and Objectives: The debate about whether to dedicate funds to rare diseases (RD) may hinge on the existence of a societal preference for prioritizing rarity. There are scarce studies about the interest of doctors and general society in RD., Method: Four groups of future health and non-health professionals were surveyed in a region of Spain to evaluate their opinion on RD. Questions of the study were organized into four groups: general knowledge on RD, prioritization of research of RD, willingness to assign resources to RD and real distribution of resources to RD., Results: A total of 234 students were surveyed. The mean age of the whole study population was 24.0 years and the 83.3% were female. Only around 25% of the survey sample knew the definitions of RD and orphan drugs. Questions related to willingness to assign resources to RD did not reveal statistically significant differences between study groups. Seventy-three per cent considered that the majority of the budget should be used to treat common diseases. However, resident doctors recognized that they have neither experience nor time to diagnose and treat RD., Conclusion: Although resident doctors have a little more general knowledge on RD than other surveyed groups, health and non-health future professionals have a low general knowledge on this topic and none of them prioritized the assignment of funds to RD., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyse trends of births in Spain and its Autonomous Communities (CCAA) over a 70 year period (1941-2010)., Methods: The crude birth rates per 1,000 inhabitants/year were calculated by CCAA using Joinpoint regression models. Change points in trend and annual percentage of change (APC) were identified., Results: The distribution of 38,160,305 births between 1941 and 2010 shows important changes in trends both nationally and among the CCAA. There is a general pattern for the whole country, with 5 turning points being identified with changes in trend and annual percentage change (APC). Differences are also found among regions., Conclusion: The analysis of trends in birth rates and the annual rates of change should enable public health authorities to properly plan pediatric care resources in our country., (Copyright © 2014 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Our objective was to analyse the coverage of hospital discharge data and the mortality registry (MR) of La Rioja to ascertain motor neuron disease (MND) cases to be included in the Spanish National Rare Diseases Registry. MND cases that occurred in La Rioja during the period 1996-2011 were selected from hospital discharge data and the MR by means of the International Classification of Diseases. Review of the medical histories was carried out to confirm the causes of death reported. Characteristics of the population with MND were analysed. A total of 133 patients with MND were detected in La Rioja during the period 1996-2011; 30.1% were only recorded in the hospital discharges data, 12.0% only in the MR, and 57.9% were recorded by both databases. Medical records revealed a miscoding of patients who had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy but were recorded in the MR with an MND code. In conclusion, the hospital discharges data and the MR appear to be complementary and are valuable databases for the Spanish National Rare Diseases Registry when MNDs are properly codified. Nevertheless, it would be advisable to corroborate the validity of the MR as data source since the miscoding of progressive supranuclear palsy has been corrected.

Background: The use of tools such as disease registries poses a problem in the case of rare diseases. This study is aimed at describing the current situation concerning rare disease registries in Spain., Methods: The information provided by two Spanish health registries directories prepared by the Spanish Health Assessment Technologies Agencies are employed, a descriptive cross-sectional study being conducted. The registries identified in these directories has been classified as: (1) "Specific rare diseases" (2) "Unspecific but with information on rare disease and (3) "Non-informative regarding rare diseases"., Results: The 2000 directory listed 82 registries, 15.8% of which were classified under Group 1, whilst a total of 107 registries, 16.8% in Group 1, were identified in the 2005 review. The main health registries in Group 2, by topic, were: cancer, mortality, psychiatry and nephrology. No general rare disease registries were found in the directories., Conclusions: Although few in number, health registries do exist in Spain including information on rare diseases. Areas have been identified by topic lacking registries and also information systems or registries unidentified in the sources used. Continuing efforts must be made to improve the information available on rare diseases.

Introduction: The aim of this work is to know the proportion of inadequate urgent admissions in a general hospital., Material and Methods: A retrospective and descriptive study of patients admitted during 1,999 was performed. The Appropriatness Evaluation Protocol (AEP) was used in order to evaluate the appropriatness of the admissions., Results: Eighteen admissions (4.5%) were inadecuated. There was a higher proportion of inappropriate admission (IA) when the physician responsible of the admission was a medical specialist (internal medicine, hematology or nephrology): odds ratio 5.3 in opposite to emergency physicians (p < 0.03)., Conclusions: There was a low proportion of inadequate admissions (4.5%) and the risk of inappropriatness of the admission was major when it was ordered by a medical specialist.

Objectives: To evaluate the degree of children's adherence to prescription of antibiotics and to determine factors linked to this adherence., Design: Cross-sectional study, conducted through a telephone survey of parents of the children under study ten to fifteen days after the prescription of the antibiotic., Setting: Thirty primary care centres in 6 Spanish provinces., Patients and Other Participants: Parents or guardians of children from 0 to 10 who attended the primary care centres between October 1998 and January 1999 for treatment of an acute infection and who were prescribed an oral antibiotic treatment with two or more daily doses. Interventions. The measuring instrument was the Morisky-Green test., Measurements and Main Results: 2244 cases were studied. 1043 of them complied adequately (46.5%; 95% CI, 44.4-48.5). The factors associated with adherence were children's school situation, the age of parents or carers and the number of daily doses., Conclusions: Only half the children complied correctly with the treatment indicated. Pre-school children, those with parents or carers over 40 and those with a prescription of under three daily doses followed the treatment better. These factors need to be borne in mind by paediatricians when they prescribe an antibiotic.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an structured intervention based on a medical advice versus to the ordinary anti-tobacco advice in patients with miocardial infarction who are attended in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU)., Patients and Methods: 90 patients were randomly selected to receive either the specific intervention (intervention group) or the ordinary advice (control group). The medical advice was given during the ICU hospitalization and during the second, the third and the fourth week. One year later the smoking habit was evaluated., Results: After one year 26 patients of the intervention group and 31 patients of the control group had stopped smoking (RR = 0.88 [CI 95% RR] 0.57 to 1.37)., Conclusions: The percentage of patients who stop smoking after a miocardial infarction is high. The structured medical counselling was not effective to reduce the number of smokers at one year.

Objective: To evaluate compliance with antibiotic treatment in children and to determine the factors that may be associated with compliance with antibiotic treatment in children not in hospital., Design: Prevalence study., Setting: La Rioja primary care centres., Patients and Other Participants: 384 children from 0 to 10, not in hospital, who needed antibiotic treatment between October 1998 and January 1999., Measurements and Main Results: Antibiotic compliance was measured with the Morisky-Green test through a phone survey of the parents ten days after the treatment was prescribed. The number of children who complied satisfactorily with the prescribed treatment was 214 (55.7%; 95% CI, 50.6-60.7). Correct compliance was more common in children with 12-hour rather than 8-hour intervals (OR: 1.87; CI OR, 1.23-2.85), and in children who went to nursery rather than children at school (OR: 1.77; CI OR, 1.08-2.91)., Conclusions: Correct compliance in the study was low. Approximately half the children prescribed an antibiotic treatment at two or three doses a day took it as the paediatrician had indicated.

Objective: To evaluate whether fast track of patients with myocardial infarction, from the emergency department to the intensive care unit, significantly decreased the intrahospital delay in the administration of anti-thrombolytic agents., Patients and Methods: Descriptive study performed in two phases (12 and 15 months, respectively) in a second-level hospital serving a community of 260,000 inhabitants (78,000 emergencies/year)., Results: A total of 264 patients with myocardial infarction participated (79.2% males); the intrahospital delay in the administration of anti-thrombolytic agents was 206.1 minutes (SD: 115.8) in 1995, versus 74.9 minutes (SD: 38.5) during 1997-1998, already with the fast track system in operation (difference of 2 hours statistically significant [p < 0.001]). Only five patients received therapy before 30 minutes., Conclusions: Although fast track at the intensive care unit notable decreased the delay in the administration of anti-thrombolytic agents, this delay is still excessive (over half and hour). Therefore, the authors propose the administration of the thrombolytic agents at the emergency department as additional strategy to reduce the delay.

Background: Bartonella henselae infections are closely related to a number of clinical conditions of growing interest in our environment. As cats are the reservoir, and their bites and scratches are the main transmission mechanism, we attempted to study the seroepidemiology of the infection caused by this microorganism in a risk group of patients (cat owners) and a control group (blood donors)., Patients and Methods: October 1977. Measurement of antibody titres to B. henselae at different dilutions (breakpoint > or = 1:64) by indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) in 83 cat owners and 85 blood donors. Also, an epidemiologic investigation was carried out (age, sex, alcohol, intake, common cat exposure, cat bite or cat scratch, number and age of cats, bite or presence of fleas, use of repellents, clinical picture consistent with cat scratch disease [CSD])., Results: Twenty-four cat owners (28.9%) and five blood donors (5.9%) had titres > or = 1:64 (OR: 6.51; 95% CI: 2.32 to 22.9). Also, the logistic regression analysis showed an association with daily alcohol intake and the previous antecedent of lymph node enlargement of unknown origin among cat owners., Conclusions: A high prevalence of antibodies to B. henselae was demonstrate among cat owners.