Health-related quality of life in men with prostate cancer undergoing active surveillance versus radical prostatectomy, external-beam radiotherapy, prostate brachytherapy and reference population: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to describe Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of localized prostate cancer patients in an Active Surveillance (AS) program, and to compare them with those undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP), external-beam radiotherapy (XRT) and brachytherapy (BT). METHODS: Multi-institutional pooled cross-sectional analysis on patients in an AS protocol: < 75 years old; pathologically confirmed LPC (maximum of three positive cylinders); Gleason score < 3 + 4; clinical stage T1a-T2b; and PSA < 15 ng/ml. Exclusion criteria for this study were: less than 6 months in AS, termination of AS protocol, or incomplete data. Patients in AS were matched with those treated with RP, XRT or BT from the 'Spanish Multicentric Study of Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer' cohort according to risk group, time from treatment selection to HRQoL survey, and age. Prostate-specific (EPIC) and generic (SF-36) HRQoL instruments were completed. Analysis was stratified by HRQoL survey moment (>or < 2.5 years from treatment selection), and age (>or < 70 years old). RESULTS: Median of time from treatment selection to HRQoL survey in the total 396 patients (99 per treatment group) was 2.4 years (range 0.5-8.3). Patients in AS presented higher (better) urinary incontinence scores than RP ones in both stratus of time from treatment selection to HRQoL survey (92.6 vs 67.0 and 81.4 vs 64.4, p <  0.01). Patients in AS for < 2.5 years presented greater sexual scores than any active treatment (p <  0.01), but only statistically higher than RP for those in AS for longer than 2.5 years. The magnitude of the differences between AS and RP groups in both EPIC domains ranged from moderate (0.7 SD) to large (1.0 SD). Regardless of treatment applied, patients presented similar and slightly increased SF-36 scores than US general population reference norms. Nonetheless, patients in AS for < 2.5 years reported worse outcomes than other treatment groups on physical health domains, especially in bodily pain (0.5-0.6 SD), and vitality (0.6-0.8 SD). CONCLUSIONS: Considering patients' well-being, AS can be a good therapeutic option due to the low impact caused on urinary continence and sexual function. However, longitudinal studies are required to take into account HRQoL evolution over time.

Epidemiologic analysis: Prophylaxis and multidrug-resistance in surgery. / Análisis epidemiológico: profilaxis y multirresistencia en cirugía.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection is defined as an infection related to the surgical procedure in the area of manipulation occurring within the first 30 postoperative days. The diagnostic criteria include: purulent drainage, isolation of microorganisms, and signs of infection. AIMS: To describe the epidemiologic characteristics and differences among the types of prophylactic regimens associated with hospital-acquired infections at the general surgery service of a tertiary care hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The electronic case records of patients that underwent general surgery at a tertiary care hospital within the time frame of January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014 were reviewed. A convenience sample of 728 patients was established and divided into the following groups: Group 1: n=728 for the epidemiologic study; Group 2: n=638 for the evaluation of antimicrobial prophylaxis; and Group 3: n=50 for the evaluation of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains in the intensive care unit. The statistical analysis was carried out with the SPSS 19 program, using the Mann-Whitney U test and the chi-square test. RESULTS: A total of 728 procedures were performed (65.9% were elective surgeries). Three hundred twelve of the patients were males and 416 were females. Only 3.98% of the patients complied with the recommended antimicrobial prophylaxis, and multidrug-resistant bacterial strains were found in the intensive care unit. DISCUSSION: A single prophylactic dose is effective, but adherence to this recommendation was not adequate. CONCLUSIONS: The prophylactic guidelines are not strictly adhered to in our environment. There was a significant association between the development of nosocomial infections from multidrug-resistant germs and admission to the intensive care unit.

Pretransplant CD4 Count Influences Immune Reconstitution and Risk of Infectious Complications in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Kidney Allograft Recipients.

In current practice, human immunodeficiency virus-infected (HIV(+) ) candidates with CD4 >200 cells/mm(3) are eligible for kidney transplantation; however, the optimal pretransplant CD4 count above this threshold remains to be defined. We evaluated clinical outcomes in patients with baseline CD4 >350 and <350 cells/mm(3) among 38 anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG)-treated HIV-negative to HIV(+) kidney transplants performed at our center between 2006 and 2013. Median follow-up was 2.6 years. Rates of acute rejection and patient and graft survival were not different between groups. Occurrence of severe CD4 lymphopenia (<200 cells/mm(3) ), however, was more common among patients with a baseline CD4 count 200-349 cells/mm(3) compared with those transplanted at higher counts (75% vs. 30% at 4 weeks [p = 0.04] and 71% vs. 5% at 52 weeks [p = 0.001], respectively, after transplant). After adjusting for age, baseline CD4 count of 200-349 cells/mm(3) was an independent predictor of severe CD4 lymphopenia at 4 weeks (relative risk [RR] 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-5.1) and 52 weeks (RR 14.3; 95% CI 2-100.4) after transplant. Patients with CD4 <200 cells/mm(3) at 4 weeks had higher probability of serious infections during first 6 months after transplant (19% vs. 50%; log-rank p = 0.05). These findings suggest that ATG must be used with caution in HIV(+) kidney allograft recipients with a pretransplant CD4 count <350 cells/mm(3) .

Comparative analysis of penile implants in patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction versus postradical prostatectomy erectile dysfunction.

Penile prosthesis is the treatment of choice for erectile dysfunction (ED) refractory to medical treatment; vasculogenic ED and ED postradical prostatectomy (PRP) are the main aetiologies. Few studies have compared surgical outcomes of penile prosthesis placement for vasculogenic versus PRP severe erectile dysfunction. This study includes 117 cases corresponding to virgin implants for ED of either vasculogenic aetiology or PRP (58 for PRP and 59 for vasculogenic cases). We analysed data corresponding to: age, comorbidity, type of prosthesis, presence of fibrosis that hinders dilation, need for modelling, size of implanted cylinders and complications (intra and postoperative). In the results the rate of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia and ischemic heart disease was higher in vasculogenic ED. All of the prostheses were hydraulic; 24.1% of two components and 75.9% of three in the PRP group; 39% components of two and 61% of three in the vasculogenic group. With regard to the presence of cavernous fibrosis and need for modelling, no significant differences were found. However, significant differences were observed in the size of the implanted cylinders; PRP of 18.30 ± 2.11 cm versus 19.21 ± 1.71 cm in vasculogenic ED (p = 0.01643). There were no significant differences between the groups in infection rates, mechanical failure or extrusion. In conclusion the implantation of penile prosthesis in ED after PRP is associated with a shorter cylinder length compared with vasculogenic origin. Although there was a certain non-significant tendency to the need for modelling manoeuvres in PRP, there were no significant differences in postoperative outcomes including infection or mechanical failure.

Diagnosis and treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer. Adherence to the European Association of Urology clinical guidelines in a nationwide population-based study - GESCAP group. / Diagnóstico y tratamiento del cáncer de prostata clínicamente localizado. Adherencia a las guías clínicas en un estudio poblacional nacional ­ GESCAP.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the adherence to European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines in the management of prostate cancer (PCa) in Spain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Epidemiological, population-based, study including a national representative sample of 3,918 incident patients with histopathological confirmation during 2010; 95% of the patient's sample was followed up for at least one year. Diagnosis along with treatment related variables (for localized PCa -low, intermediate, high and locally-advanced by D'Amico risk stratification) was recorded. Differences between groups were tested with Chi-squared and Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: Mean (SD) age of PCa patients was 68.48 (8.18). Regarding diagnostic by biopsy procedures, 64.56% of all patients had 8-12 cores in first biopsy and 46.5% of the patients over 75 years, with PSA<10ng/mL were biopsied. Staging by Computer Tomography (CT) or Bone Scan (BS) was used for determining tumor extension in 60.09% of high-risk cases and was applied differentially depending on patients' age; 3,293 (84.05%) patients received a treatment for localized PCa. Radical prostatectomy was done in 1,277 patients and 206 out of these patients also had a lymphadenectomy, being 4.64% low-risk, 22.81% intermediate-risk and 36.00% high-risk patients; 86.08% of 1,082 patients who had radiotherapy were treated with 3D or IMRT and 35.77% received a dose ≥75Gy; 419 patients were treated with brachytherapy (BT): 54.81% were low-risk patients, 22.84% intermediate-risk and 12.98% high-risk. Hormonotherapy (HT, n=521) was applied as single therapy in 9.46% of low-risk and 17.92% of intermediate-risk patients. Additionally, HT was combined with RT in 14.34% of lower-risk patients and 58.26% of high-risk patients, and 67.19% low-intermediate risk with RT and/or BT received neoadjuvant/concomitant/adjuvant HT. Finally, 83.75% of high-risk patients undergoing RT and/or BT also received HT. CONCLUSIONS: Although EAU guidelines for PCa management are easily available in Europe, the adherence to their recommendations is low, finding the highest discrepancies in the need for a prostate biopsy and the diagnostic methods. Improve information and educational programs could allow a higher adherence to the guidelines and reduce the variability in daily practice. (Controlled-trials.com: ISRCTN19893319).

Treatment trends for clinically localised prostate cancer. National population analysis: GESCAP group. / Tendencias de tratamiento en el cáncer de próstata clínicamente localizado. Análisis poblacional a nivel nacional: grupo GESCAP.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the established therapies for localised prostate cancer (PC) in Spain and to assess compliance with the 2010 UAE guidelines. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was an epidemiological, observational, prospective and multicentre study. Of the 3,918 patients diagnosed with PC during 2010, only those patients with localised PC were included. Follow-up was ultimately conducted for a minimum of one year from the diagnosis for 3,713 patients (94.77%). The treatment groups assessed were as follows: radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, brachytherapy, active surveillance or observation and experimental local treatment (cryotherapy or other treatment). Compliance with the recommendations of the EAU guidelines was studied, describing the treatment groups according to D'Amico risk stratification criteria (localised [low, intermediate and high risk] and locally advanced), age, PSA and Gleason score. RESULTS: By applying the D'Amico criteria, we included 3,641 (92.93%) patients. Based on the UAE recommendations: 1) 68.87% of the patients at low-intermediate risk aged≤65 years underwent radical prostatectomy; 2) 34.51% of the patients>65 years at high risk with locally advanced disease were administered radiation therapy and hormone therapy; 3) 30.36% of the patients at high risk with locally advanced disease were only treated with hormone therapy; 4) 15.20% of the patients at low risk were only treated with brachytherapy; 5) active surveillance or observation was selected for 2.44% of the patients aged≤65 years and for 10.63% of the patients at low-intermediate risk who were>65 years. Lastly, 86.5% of the patients at low risk underwent a single treatment, and 43.62% of the patients at high risk with locally advanced disease underwent combined treatments. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first national European study to evaluate the therapeutic management of localised PC based on the risk group to which the patient belonged. Most young patients (≤65 years) with low-intermediate risk localised PC were treated with surgery, which adheres to the recommendations of the 2010 UAE guidelines. Various therapeutic combinations have been employed for patients with high-risk, locally advanced localised tumours, revealing the need for a multidisciplinary approach (Controlled-trials.com number: ISRCTN19893319).

[Esophageal stenosis due to a dissecting intramural hematoma following the endoscopic sclerotherapy of esophageal varices]. / Estenosis esofágica por hematoma intramural disecante tras escleroterapia endoscópica de varices esofágicas.

The dissecting intramural hematoma of the esophagus (DEH) is a rare complication of endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy (EVS). We present a 37 years male with Laennec's cirrhosis who developed a submucosal hematoma with complete obstruction of the esophagus 24 h. after the second session of EVS diagnosed by endoscopy. After conservative treatment the patient recovered well with complete resolution of the lesion. The review of the literature shows no correlation between DEH and type or volume of sclerosant, site of injection or previous number of sessions. Unknown in children. Most of these patients had abnormal hemostasis. We have performed EVS in 227 patients (879 sessions), with only a case of DEH (rate 0.13%). In this case the bad tolerance and movements during of EVS were very important.

[Papillary tumor of the pancreas diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration]. / Tumor papilar de páncreas diagnosticado mediante punción aspiración con aguja fina.

We report the case of a 48 year-old woman with an epigastric palpable mass identified by abdominal echography and computed tomography as a solid pancreatic tumor. A cytology taken by fine needle aspiration guided by computed tomography was diagnostic of papillary pancreatic tumor, which was confirmed by surgical resection. We emphasize the low frequency and good prognosis of this type of tumor after surgical resection, and the utility of image techniques and fine needle aspiration to obtain a preoperative diagnosis.

[Thyroid dysfunction in patients with chronic hepatitis C pre and post treatment with interferon]. / Disfunción tiroidea en pacientes con hepatitis crónica C pre y post tratamiento con interferón.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the thyroid function and the dysfunction after interferon therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 1988 and 1994, 119 patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon were reviewed 92 patients received interferon alfa for six or twelve months. 27 patients were treated with interferon beta for six months. Before, during and after interferon therapy, free thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, antimicrosomal antibodies and antithyroglobulin antibodies were measured in 51 patients. None of the patients had abnormal thyroid function or autoimmune disease before treatment. RESULTS: Among the interferon-treated patients, 6% developed biochemical evidence of thyroid dysfunction during or after therapy. Most cases had hypothyroidism. Thyroid dysfunction was statistically more frequent in the female sex, older patients and in patients who received greater total dose of interferon. In one patient the titters of antimicrosomal thyroid antibodies increased from 1/10 to 1/40 and another patient was positive in a dilution of 1/80 by the time of onset of thyroid disease. Thyroid disease (hypothyroidism) developed in (3.5%) of untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C. CONCLUSIONS: Interferon therapy can development autoimmune thyroid fenomena. Thyroid dysfunction and the presence of antithyroid antibodies before therapy can be a contraindication to the use of interferon in these patients. It is important that patients undergoing interferon therapy be tested for antithyroid antibodies and thyroid function before treatment and be monitored during the course of therapy. Also, it is important to evaluate the factors related with the development of thyroid dysfunction (age, sex, interferon dose...).

[Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Maternofetal implications]. / Colestasis gravídica intrahepática. Implicaciones maternofetales.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze a group of pregnancies complicated by intrahepatic cholestasis in order to favour an early recognition and to decrease maternal and fetal morbid-mortality. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of 46 pregnancies with intrahepatic gravidic cholestasis between 1990-94. We review the most relevant epidemiologic, clinical and biological features and the obstetric and perinatal results. The study group was compared with 1652 non complicated pregnancies (control group) from the same period of time. The statistic evaluation was made with t Student and chi 2. RESULTS: The incidence was 0.18% (mean age of 27.8 +/- 6.7 years) similar to the control group, and a greater rate of primiparity (p < 0.05) and twin pregnancies (p < 0.001). The most frequent symptom was pruritus, followed by choluria (23.9%) and signs of cutaneous scratching (17.3%). Only 5 patients (10.8%) had jaundice. The GPT was greater than 100 U/1 in 29 cases (63.1%) and the GOT in 17 (37%). In 25 pregnancies (54.3%) the alkaline phosphatase exceeded 600 U/L and 28 (60.8%) had bilirubin normal values. Urinary tract infections (26%) and preterm labor (17.3%) were significantly more frequent (p < 0.001) in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, as well as induced labor rate and cesarean section percentages (p < 0.001). The neonatal prognosis was significantly worse, with 10 preterm babies, 6 with 5 minutes Apgar score lower than 7, and 3 perinatal deaths. All the patients recovered their normal status after delivery. CONCLUSIONS: In intrahepatic gravidic cholestasis moderate cytolysis, infrequent jaundice and cholestasis can be important. The pregnancies should be considered of high risk, and should be managed aggressively as soon as fetal maturity allows it.

[Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid induced hepatotoxicity with progression to cirrhosis]. / Hepatotoxicidad inducida por amoxicilina-ácido clavulánico con evolución a cirrosis.

Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid is a commonly used antibiotic in clinical practice. It is usually prescribed on an empirical basis and several cases of hepatotoxicity with cholestasis have been described. We report the case of a 42-year-old man who developed an acute hepatocellular lesion with progression to cirrhosis. The patient received amoxicillin-clavulanic acid twice with an interval of four months. Other causes of hepatic failure were excluded. Although amoxicillin-clavulanic acid-induced hepatotoxicity has been widely documented, there are no other reports describing its progression to cirrhosis in an adult.

[Involvement of the facial nerve in tumors of the neck and face. Report of 17 cases]. / Afectación del nervio facial en los tumores de localización cervico-facial. Presentación de casos.

Seventh nerve involvement for tumors of the neck of the face is an event not too much infrequent. The paralysis can present due to direct propagation or for not close vicinity. Seventeen (17) patients with facial palsies in association with neoplasties seen in a four years term (1989 - 1992) are contemplated. This figure represents a 6.6 percent of the whole number studied (N. = 270). The paper deals with clinical, etio-pathogenic features and especially with the so-called "alarm signals".

Quality of life two years after radical prostatectomy, prostate brachytherapy or external beam radiotherapy for clinically localised prostate cancer: the Catalan Institute of Oncology/Bellvitge Hospital experience.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to compare the short- and long-term impact of 3 different treatment modalities on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients treated for localised prostate cancer at a single centre in Catalonia, Spain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a longitudinal, prospective study of 304 patients from a single centre in Catalonia, Spain. Patients underwent 1 of 3 treatment procedures: radical prostatectomy (114 patients), external beam radiation (134) or interstitial brachytherapy (56). HRQOL was assessed by both general and specific questionnaires, including the SF-36 health survey and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC). Interviews were administered prior to treatment and at months 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24. One-way analysis of variance and generalised estimating equations models were constructed to assess between group differences in HRQOL. RESULTS: After initial deterioration, HRQOL scores partially recovered, although significant differences between treatment groups persisted at two years. Worsening of urinary incontinence was especially marked for the radical prostatectomy group (11.45, p=0.005), while deterioration in the urinary irritative/obstructive domain was worse following brachytherapy treatment (4.76, p=0.025). Decline in sexual function was significantly greater for the radical prostatectomy group than for the brachytherapy group (18.74, p<0.001). No significant between-group differences were observed in bowel domain scores. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of life 2 years after treatment for prostate cancer shows wide variability. Radical prostatectomy had the largest negative impact on the sexual and urinary incontinence domains. Differences between external radiation and brachytherapy were relatively small. Brachytherapy led to a moderate increase in urinary irritation compared to the other 2 groups.

Supplementation with bypass fat in silvopastoral systems diminishes the ratio of milk saturated/unsaturated fatty acids.

This study was conducted to evaluate if supplementing bypass fat to cows under silvopastoral systems, increases the concentration of unsaturated fatty acids in milk, thus improving the saturated/ unsaturated ratio without a negative effect on total milk yield in fat or protein. Two concentrations of two different sources of bypass fat were evaluated for 40 days, each in a group of 24 multiparous Lucerna (Colombian breed) cows. A cross-over design of 8 Latin squares 3 x 3 was used. The variables submitted to analysis were body condition, daily milk production and milk composition. Body condition, milk yield and milk quality were not different but there was a significant decrease in the amount of saturated fatty acid in both experiments while the unsaturated fat increased significantly in experiment 1 and remained stable in experiment 2. Results, such as these have as far as we know, not been reported previously and they provide an approach for the improvement of milk as a "functional food".

Feature selection in pathology detection using hybrid multidimensional analysis.

Heuristical algorithms can reduce the computational complexity. Such methods require of some stopping criteria (cost function). Some of these cost functions are based on statistics like univariate and multivariate methods of analysis. Dimensional reduction techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) allow to find a lower dimension transformed space based on data variance, but this procedure does not take into account information about classes separability, the direction of maximum variance does not necessarily correspond to the direction of maximum separability. In this work, we propose a feature selection algorithm with heuristic search that uses multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) as the cost function. This technique is put to test by classifying hypernasal from normal voices of CLP (Cleft Lip and/or Palate) patients. The classification performance, computational time and reduction ratio are also considered by the comparison with an alternate feature selection method founded on unfolding the multivariate analysis into univariate and bivariate analysis.

Chronic septal panniculitis caused by phaeohyphomycosis.

Panniculitis is caused by a heterogeneous group of clinical entities that tend to manifest themselves as erythematous-violaceous subcutaneous nodules on the legs. In addition to associations with rheumatic diseases including vasculitis, its causes may include various infections. The microorganisms most commonly involved are bacteria and fungi. Among the latter, Candida Sp,, Nocardia Sp., Sporotrichosis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, cromomycosis, and inter alia, have been described. We present an immu-nocompetent patient with a persistent, neutrophilic, chronic septal panniculitis caused by Aureobasidium Pullulans, an infection-generating fungus belonging to the phaeohyphornycosis group. The patient was treated with amphotericin B 0.5 mg/kg/day, itraconazole 400 mg/day p.o., and 5 fluo-rocytosine 150 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks with excellent response.This is the first report in the literature on panniculitis caused by A. Pullulans's phaeohyphomycosis. We suggest that, whenever we observe patients with symptomatic panniculitis, especially if they are resistant to regular treatment, are of chronic course, and have neutrophilic infiltrates in their biopsies, panniculitis caused by uncommon organisms such as phaeohyphomycosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

European collaborative group on prostate brachytherapy: preliminary report in 1175 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a multi-centre database of a large number of patients treated with brachytherapy across Europe. METHODS: A total of 1175 patient files were registered in the database and the completeness of the data on these patients resulted in the majority being included in the analysis. RESULTS: The database of patients treated with brachytherapy across Europe indicates that optimal patient selection for this procedure has been made, both in terms of outcome and side-effects, which will be subject of future analyses. This should enable refinement of the treatment choice and administration as well as provide useful guidance to other centres that want to establish this procedure for their patients. It will also set the ground for prospective studies. CONCLUSIONS: The established database indicates that brachytherapy as a treatment option for prostate cancer is well established in many centres.