Evaluation of the efficacy of hydroxyl radical (OH˙) release for disinfection of the air and surfaces in the dental clinic: an in vitro study.

BACKGROUND: Concerning about the quality of room air has increased exponentially. Specially in dental clinics where diary practice is characterized by the important generation of aerosols. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An in vitro model was used in which samples were collected from the surfaces and room air of a dental clinic before and after the use of an OH˙ radical generator. RESULTS: A total of 1260 samples were collected for bacteriological analysis and 14 samples for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. Following OH˙ treatment, the tested surface samples showed a decrease in the number of colony forming units (CFUs) of 76.9% in TSA culture medium. The circulating room air samples in turn showed a decrease in CFUs of 66.7% in Sabouraud medium and 71.4% in Mannitol agar medium. No presence of SARS-CoV-2 was observed on the surface of the face shield. CONCLUSIONS: The disinfectant technology based on the use of hydroxyl radicals (OH˙) is effective in reducing the presence of moulds and yeasts and Staphylococcus in the air, and in reducing total aerobic bacteria on the tested surfaces.

Predictors of surgical difficulty in upper third molar removal: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Upper third molar (U3M) removal is a common surgical procedure. The aims of this study were to assess the patient-specific, radiological and surgical factors related to the difficulty of U3M removal, and to determine the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative complications. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was carried out in adult patients undergoing U3M removal. Operative time, surgeon-reported difficulty and the Parant classification were used to assess extraction difficulty. Clinical, radiological and surgical factors were recorded to determine their relationship with surgical difficulty. A descriptive, bivariate and multivariate statistical analysis was carried out. RESULTS: A total of 250 patients were included. The mean operative time was 10.4 (±12.3) minutes, mean surgeon-reported difficulty was 3.2/10 (±2.3). The multivariate analysis showed greater impaction against the second molar and greater soft tissue and bony impaction to significantly increase operative time and surgeon-perceived difficulty. Additionally, surgeon experience was related to perceived difficulty. The overall incidence of intraoperative complications was 0.8%, and no postoperative events were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: Upper third molars in close relation with the roots of the adjacent second molar and with soft tissue and bony impaction are significantly more difficult to extract. Perceived difficulty was related to surgeon experience. This procedure appears to produce few intra- and postoperative complications.

Sexual orientation, gender: Where is the problem? Nowhere! Correct self-identification and minority stigma.

PURPOSE: Self-concept, at the core of minority stress, is associated with negative mental health outcomes. METHODS: We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a one-shot third-wave CBT intervention targeting correct self-identification to address suffering related to minority stress. The study population included 172 participants (n = 98 heterosexuals, n=13 transgenders). The intervention consisted of a 90 minutes conference including overview of LGBT's suffering related to distal and proximal factors, a wisdom understanding of the root of suffering (mistaken self-identification) followed by a Questions & Answers session. Participants completed online self-questionnaires assessing sociodemographic data, acceptance by others (external) and oneself (internal) for sexual orientation and gender variables before the conference, immediately after the conference, and three months later. RESULTS: The conference helped to improve external acceptance of transgender for the whole sample, especially among the majority group. Those belonging to the minority (LGBT) had a positive benefit from the conference by reducing their fear of judgment. Adding a Q&A session to the conference failed to show any additional benefits. CONCLUSION: A specific wisdom-based self-identification conference appears to be an effective and low-cost intervention to target minority stigma, and therefore mental health and social integration of LGBT people.

Retrograde filling material in periapical surgery: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Periapical surgery focuses on the treatment of teeth with persistent periapical lesions when orthograde root canal treatment fails. Although MTA® is the gold standard material for retrograde filling, Biodentine® - a tricalcium silicate-based cement - has been proposed in order to resolve several of its limitations. A systematic review has been carried out to compare the physicochemical properties of Biodentine® versus MTA® as root-end filling material in periapical surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An electronic search was conducted by two independent examiners during March 2020 in the Cochrane, PubMed-MEDLINE and Scopus databases. In addition, a manual search was made in specialized journals. Comparative human or in vitro studies that evaluated bond strength, the presence of marginal gap and sealing ability were included. No restriction on publication date was applied. Animal studies, clinical cases, cases series and expert opinions were excluded. RESULTS: After analyzing 147 initially selected studies, 13 publications were included. Regarding bond strength, the studies seemed to evidence better performance of Biodentine® in both acidic and blood contaminated environments. In relation to the presence of marginal gap and sealing ability, the studies yielded contradictory results. According to some authors, the sealing ability of Biodentine® is greater than that of MTA® during the first 24 hours, though both materials prove equal after one week. Other authors recorded no significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the limitations and heterogeneity of the studies included, there is not sufficient evidence to confirm the clinical superiority of Biodentine® as a root-end filling material in periapical surgery.

Phonoarticulation in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.

Phonoarticulation is characterized by changes in resonance, diadochokinesis, prosody, sound frequency, vocal quality, and intraoral pressure. The main aim of this study was to characterize the phonoarticulation in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) and correlate it with clinical and genetic factors. Thirty-one patients with SCA3 who were subjected to spontaneous speech recordings and phonoarticulatory diadochokinesis (DDK) participated in the study. Speech analyses were performed starting after 10 s of spontaneous speech, by three experienced speech therapists, using a protocol for dysarthria adapted from the Mayo Clinic. The intra-evaluator reliability was analyzed. The lower the patient's age at disease onset was, the more frequent the occurrences of monofrequency and altered speech rhythm were. Articulation, DDK, resonance, and prosody showed a moderate correlation with the number of "CAG" triplet repeats. We conclude that the phonoarticulation of patients with Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is characterized by mixed dysarthrophonia with cerebellar and hypokinetic components, and that there is a tendency toward higher frequency of dysarthrophonia symptoms with lower age of disease onset, longer time since onset and higher number of "CAG" triplet repeats.

Early prophylaxis in children with severe haemophilia A: clinical and ultrasound imaging outcomes.

AIM: This observational study was undertaken with the aim to describe the characteristics and evaluate the outcomes of prophylactic treatment in children with severe haemophilia A (HA) treated at our centre. METHODS: Twenty-five patients aged 4-19 years with severe HA, no history of inhibitors and treated with at least two infusions of factor VIII (FVIII) per week were studied. Prophylactic doses and annual joint bleeding rate (AJBR) were retrospectively evaluated over the last 5 years. Current joint status was assessed using the Haemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS) (136 joints of 23 patients) and the Haemophilia Early Arthropathy Detection with Ultrasound (HEAD-US) procedure (124 joints of 21 patients). RESULTS: Median AJBR was 0.2 and median prophylaxis dose 65.4 IU-1  kg-1  week-1 . Median total HJHS was 0 (range 0-13) and total HEAD-US 1 (0-8). At the joint level, 85.3% of joints were normal on HJHS and 79.0% on US. The ankle was the joint most commonly affected, considering bleeding and ultrasound results. Correlation was found between HEAD-US scores and bleeding scores but not between HEAD-US and HJHS scores. HJHS and HEAD-US scores were concordant in 91/124 (73.4%) joints (86 joints normal and five abnormal). Ultrasound detected minimal changes in 19.6% of joints with normal physical function, whereas 12.2% of joints considered normal on ultrasound showed changes at HJHS. CONCLUSION: A well-preserved joint status was found in our cohort. High-resolution US detected a higher percentage of abnormalities than the physical evaluation, but the clinical implications of these findings still need to be ascertained.

Rapid maxillary expansion and obstructive sleep apnea: A review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: OSAS during childhood leads to significant physical and neuropsychomotor impairment. Thus, it needs to be recognized and treated early in order to avoid or attenuate the chronic problems associated with OSAS, which are deleterious to a child's development. Adenotonsillectomy and, in select cases, continuous positive airwaypressure (CPAP) have been the preferred treatments for OSAS in children, and yet they are ineffective at fully ameliorating the disease. Minimally invasive treatments have recently been proposed, comprising intra-oral and extra-oral devices as well as speech therapy. Objetive: to conduct a meta-analysis on studies from around the world that used rapid maxillary expansion (RME) to treat OSAS in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of studies using RME for OSA treatment in children. A literature survey was conductedusing PubMed and Medline for English articles published up to December 2014 with the following descriptors: SleepApnea, Obstructive, Children, Treatment, Orthodontic, Othopaedic, Maxillaryexpansion. Studies were included in the meta-analysisif they were case-controlled studies, randomized, and involved non-syndromic children aged 0 to 12years old diagnosed with OSA by the polysomnography apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) before and after the intervention, submitted RME only. RESULTS: In all, 10 articles conformed to the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. The total sample size across all these articles was 215 children, having a mean age of 6.7 years,of whom58.6%were male. The mean AHI during the follow-up was -6.86 (p <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that rapid maxillary expansion (RME) in children with OSAS appears to be an effective treatment for this syndrome. Further randomized clinical studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of RME in adults.

Randomized controlled study of a mandibular advancement appliance for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in children: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The current limited evidence may be suggestive that mandibular advancement appliance (MAAs) result in improvements in AHI scores, but it is not possible to conclude that MAAs are effective to treat paediatric OSA.There are significant weaknesses in the existing evidence due primarily to absence of control groups, small sample sizes, lack of randomization and short-term results. AIM: the objective of the present study was to evaluate MAAs in children with OSA. METHODS: Children presenting an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) greater than or equal to one event per hour were considered to be apneic. This group of children with AHI greater than or equal to one was randomly divided through a draw into two subgroups: half of them in an experimental subgroup and half of them in a control subgroup. In the experimental subgroup, molds of each of these children's maxillary and mandibular arches were taken using standard molds and molding material. The control group did not use any intraoral device and did not undergo any type of treatment for OSAS. The MAAs used in this study had the aim of achieving mandibular advancement, thereby correcting the mandibular position and dental occlusion, and perhaps increasing the airway and treating OSAS. After 12 consecutive months of use of the mandibular advancement devices, polysomnography examinations using the same parameters as in the initial examinations were requested for both the experimental and the control subgroup. RESULTS: There was a decrease in AHI in the experimental group and an increase in the control group, with statistical significance. These data were used to calculate the sample size, which was 28 children in total in the groups. CONCLUSIONS: There was a decrease in AHI one year after implementing use of mandibular advancement devices, in comparison with the group that did not use these devices.

Identification and characterization of near-fatal asthma phenotypes by cluster analysis.

BACKGROUND: Near-fatal asthma (NFA) is a heterogeneous clinical entity and several profiles of patients have been described according to different clinical, pathophysiological and histological features. However, there are no previous studies that identify in a unbiased way--using statistical methods such as clusters analysis--different phenotypes of NFA. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify and to characterize phenotypes of near fatal asthma using a cluster analysis. METHODS: Over a period of 2 years, 33 Spanish hospitals enrolled 179 asthmatics admitted for an episode of NFA. A cluster analysis using two-steps algorithm was performed from data of 84 of these cases. RESULTS: The analysis defined three clusters of patients with NFA: cluster 1, the largest, including older patients with clinical and therapeutic criteria of severe asthma; cluster 2, with an high proportion of respiratory arrest (68%), impaired consciousness level (82%) and mechanical ventilation (93%); and cluster 3, which included younger patients, characterized by an insufficient anti-inflammatory treatment and frequent sensitization to Alternaria alternata and soybean. CONCLUSIONS: These results identify specific asthma phenotypes involved in NFA, confirming in part previous findings observed in studies with a clinical approach. The identification of patients with a specific NFA phenotype could suggest interventions to prevent future severe asthma exacerbations.

Inflammatory Asthma Phenotype Discrimination Using an Electronic Nose Breath Analyzer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Patients with persistent asthma have different inflammatory phenotypes. The electronic nose is a new technology capable of distinguishing volatile organic compound (VOC) breath-prints in exhaled breath. The aim of the study was to investigate the capacity of electronic nose breath-print analysis to discriminate between different inflammatory asthma phenotypes (eosinophilic, neutrophilic, paucigranulocytic) determined by induced sputum in patients with persistent asthma. METHODS: Fifty-two patients with persistent asthma were consecutively included in a cross-sectional proof-of-concept study. Inflammatory asthma phenotypes (eosinophilic, neutrophilic and paucigranulocytic) were recognized by inflammatory cell counts in induced sputum. VOC breath-prints were analyzed using the electronic nose Cyranose 320 and assessed by discriminant analysis on principal component reduction, resulting in cross-validated accuracy values. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated. RESULTS: VOC breath-prints were different in eosinophilic asthmatics compared with both neutrophilic asthmatics (accuracy 73%; P=.008; area under ROC, 0.92) and paucigranulocytic asthmatics (accuracy 74%; P=.004; area under ROC, 0.79). Likewise, neutrophilic and paucigranulocytic breath-prints were also different (accuracy 89%; P=.001; area under ROC, 0.88). CONCLUSION: An electronic nose can discriminate inflammatory phenotypes in patients with persistent asthma in a regular clinical setting. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02026336.

Value of sentinel lymph node biopsy in papillary thyroid cancer: initial results of a prospective trial.

The objectives of the study were to evaluate the performance of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in detecting occult metastases in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and to correlate their presence to tumor and patient characteristics. Twenty-three clinically node-negative PTC patients (21 females, mean age 48.4 years) were prospectively enrolled. Patients were submitted to sentinel lymph node (SLN) lymphoscintigraphy prior to total thyroidectomy. Ultrasound-guided peritumoral injections of (99m)Tc-phytate (7.4 MBq) were performed. Cervical single-photon emission computed tomography and computed tomography (SPECT/CT) images were acquired 15 min after radiotracer injection and 2 h prior to surgery. Intra-operatively, SLNs were located with a gamma probe and removed along with non-SLNs located in the same neck compartment. Papillary thyroid carcinoma, SLNs and non-SLNs were submitted to histopathology analysis. Sentinel lymph nodes were located in levels: II in 34.7 % of patients; III in 26 %; IV in 30.4 %; V in 4.3 %; VI in 82.6 % and VII in 4.3 %. Metastases in the SLN were noted in seven patients (30.4 %), in non-SLN in three patients (13.1 %), and in the lateral compartments in 20 % of patients. There were significant associations between lymph node (LN) metastases and the presence of angio-lymphatic invasion (p = 0.04), extra-thyroid extension (p = 0.03) and tumor size (p = 0.003). No correlations were noted among LN metastases and patient age, gender, stimulated thyroglobulin levels, positive surgical margins, aggressive histology and multifocal lesions. Sentinel lymph node biopsy can detect occult metastases in PTC. The risk of a metastatic SLN was associated with extra-thyroid extension, larger tumors and angio-lymphatic invasion. This may help guide future neck dissection, patient surveillance and radioiodine therapy doses.

[Pandemic COVID-19 impact in Rehabilitation Services in Spain]. / Impacto de la pandemia por COVID-19 en los Servicios de Rehabilitación de España.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic situation has brought a considerable growth on the amount of patients requiring ICU admissions and long-term hospitalization. The present study is aimed at determining whether Rehabilitation Services has been able to reach a sufficient adaptation level, regarding the exponential increase on the demand of Rehab-related services from intensive care patients and inpatients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Through this cross-sectional research, an online survey was implemented in various Rehabilitation Departments across Spain from December the 22nd, 2020 to February the 12th, 2021. SORECAR (The Spanish Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Society) was the responsible entity for the design of the survey (ICU Rehabilitation Services Identification). Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS. OBJECTIVE: To address the specific needs and changes arising from the new COVID-19 pandemic situation within Spanish Rehabilitation Departments. RESULTS: 38 hospitals from 18 cities (From a total of 49) participated in the study. The ICUs weekly demand scored 7.84 ± 6,8 Medical Consultation (MC) on average (range: 2-45). The hospitalization average was displayed as 9, 63 ± 6,2 MC/week (range: 2-55). The total worktime dedicated by physicians was 10.38 h/week, from which physiotherapists stood with 25.95 h/week. Only 7 hospitals (16.7%) counted with occupational therapists (OT) (average dedication of 5 h/week). Each Rehab-session lasted 30 min on average. 59.1% (n = 23) of the included hospitals had already implemented a specific post-covid follow-up rehab-consultation, whereas 9.1% (n = 4) of them were planning on implementing it. 64.3% (n = 24) of the surveyed centers implemented specific protocols for COVID-19 patients, while another 7.1% (n = 3) were in development progress. 48.5% (n = 18) of the surveyed centers did not owe its own specific training program within its ICUs and respiratory rehab-areas for the internal medical residents. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic situation has resulted in a substantial increase on the workload in the Spanish Rehabilitation Services. Most of the hospitals included in the present study had already implemented outpatient follow-up consultations. Rehabilitation in critical patients is an exponentially recurrent topic for this medical specialty that needs to be furtherly addressed in the nearby future.

[Translated article] Risk factors associated with periprosthetic infection in patients with femoral neck fracture: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Infection is one of the most important local complications in the patient with femoral neck fracture treated with arthroplasty. The aim of the present study is to describe and analyze possible risk factors that could be involved in periprosthetic infection in the patient with femoral neck fracture. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed including patients with femoral neck fractures treated with arthroplasty in the period between January 2015 and December 2017. Cases were defined as patients with femoral neck fracture who after undergoing arthroplasty (hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty) had a periprosthetic infection, whose diagnosis was carried out according to the major and minor criteria described in the International Consensus on Musculoskeletal Infections (Philadelphia 2018). In order to mitigate the influence of variables that could be considered confounding variables, a multivariate analysis was carried out. OUTCOMES: A statistically significant association was found between periprosthetic infection and certain variables present at the time of admission, including the presence of moderate or severe anaemia (OR: 10.91; 95% CI: 1.07-111.50; P = .007), thrombocytopenia (OR: 27.72;95% CI: 3.48-221.01; P = .002), history of thromboembolism event (OR: 8.80; 95% CI: 1.31-59.38; P = .026), anxious-depressive disorder in treatment with two or three drugs (OR: 21.36; 95% CI: 3.65-125.12; P = .001) and liver disease (OR: 32.04; 95% CI: 2.59-396.29; P = .007). CONCLUSIONS: Periprosthetic infection in the patient with femoral neck fracture treated with arthroplasty could be related to the presence of certain variables at the time of hospital admission, including moderate or severe anaemia, thrombocytopenia, history of thromboembolic event, anxious-depressive disorder in treatment with two or three drugs or liver disease.

Risk factors associated with periprosthetic infection in patients with femoral neck fracture: A case-control study. / Factores de riesgo asociados a infección periprotésica en el paciente con fractura del cuello femoral: estudio de casos y controles.

BACKGROUND: Infection is one of the most important local complications in the patient with femoral neck fracture treated with arthroplasty. The aim of the present study is to describe and analyze possible risk factors that could be involved in periprosthetic infection in the patient with femoral neck fracture. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed including patients with femoral neck fractures treated with arthroplasty in the period between January 2015 and December 2017. Cases were defined as patients with femoral neck fracture who after undergoing arthroplasty (hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty) had a periprosthetic infection, whose diagnosis was carried out according to the major and minor criteria described in the International Consensus on Musculoskeletal Infections (Philadelphia 2018). In order to mitigate the influence of variables that could be considered confounding variables, a multivariate analysis was carried out. OUTCOMES: A statistically significant association was found between periprosthetic infection and certain variables present at the time of admission, including the presence of moderate or severe anaemia (OR: 10.91; 95%CI: 1.07-111.50; P=.007), thrombocytopenia (OR: 27.72; 95%CI: 3.48-221.01; P=.002), history of thromboembolism event (OR: 8.80; 95%CI: 1.31-59.38; P=.026), anxious-depressive disorder in treatment with two or three drugs (OR: 21.36; 95%CI: 3.65-125.12; P=.001) and liver disease (OR: 32.04; 95%CI: 2.59-396.29; P=.007). CONCLUSIONS: Periprosthetic infection in the patient with femoral neck fracture treated with arthroplasty could be related to the presence of certain variables at the time of hospital admission, including moderate or severe anaemia, thrombocytopenia, history of thromboembolic event, anxious-depressive disorder in treatment with two or three drugs or liver disease.

The impulsiveness level influences the salivary cortisol response and social stress sensitivity in suicidal patients.

INTRODUCTION: Suicide attempters (SA) are more vulnerable to social stress and show disturbed cortisol response in stressful conditions compared with psychiatric and healthy controls. Recent data suggest that this dysregulation might be related to impulsivity traits. However, little is known about the emotional consequences of social stress in SA exposed to stress. OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to evaluate the cortisol and emotional responses to social stress in patients with depression with and without suicide attempt, by taking into account impulsivity traits and depression severity. METHODS: 67 adult women (41 SA and 26 affective controls (AC,i.e. without suicide attempt history)) with lifetime history of major depressive episode were included. Patients performed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a well-validated social stress task. Patients provided seven saliva samples, to measure the cortisol response, and filled in questionnaires to assess psychological pain, positive and negative mood, and anxiety at different time points (from 10 min before to 120 min after the TSST). Moderated regression models were used including suicide attempt history, depression severity, and impulsivity as independent variables and their interactions. RESULTS: In patients with low depression and high impulsivity, salivary cortisol response during the TSST was higher in SA than in AC (p < .001). Psychological pain, negative mood, and anxiety were increased in all patients just after the TSST, followed by a decrease at 120 min. Positive mood recovery was slower in SA, and in patients with high impulsivity and low depression level (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Impulsivity traits have an important role in suicidal vulnerability in stress conditions. Impulsivity traits might help to differentiate patients at risk of suicide who are highly sensitive to stress when depression level is low. Higher impulsiveness may increase the sensitivity to emotional distress that translates into inadequate physiological responses.

Phases in the decision to request euthanasia and brain structures involved. / Fases en la decisión de solicitar la eutanasia y estructuras cerebrales involucradas.

INTRODUCTION: Euthanasia laws do not mention as an obstacle brain diseases other than dementia that damage circuits involved in decision-making. DEVELOPMENT: Narrative review of the stages of the decision to request euthanasia and the brain areas involved. The amygdala, the cingulate and insular cortex, and different parts of the prefrontal lobes are activated during decisions with similarities to that of requesting euthanasia. CONCLUSIONS: When an injury or malfunction of any of the structures involved in making decisions is known, a specific evaluation should be made of the influence it may have on the competence of the patient to request euthanasia.

TITLE: Fases en la decisión de solicitar la eutanasia y estructuras cerebrales involucradas.Introducción. Las leyes de eutanasia no mencionan como obstáculo las enfermedades cerebrales diferentes de la demencia, pero que dañan los circuitos involucrados en la toma de decisiones. Desarrollo. Revisión narrativa de las etapas de la decisión de solicitar la eutanasia y las áreas cerebrales involucradas. La amígdala, la corteza cingulada, la ínsula y distintas partes de los lóbulos prefrontales se activan durante decisiones con similitudes a la de solicitar la eutanasia. Conclusiones. Cuando se conoce una lesión o mal funcionamiento de alguna de las estructuras involucradas en la toma de decisiones, se debe realizar una evaluación específica de la influencia que pueda tener en la competencia del paciente para solicitar la eutanasia.

[Influence of medical outliers in patients with femoral neck fracture]. / Influencia del ingreso hospitalario ectópico en pacientes con fractura del cuello femoral.

OBJECTIVES: The objective is to describe and analyze how outlier admission influences hospital stay and the appearance of complications in patients with a femoral neck fracture treated with arthroplasty. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A historical cohort study was carried out in which the group of patients with a displaced fracture of the femoral neck who had an outlier admission was defined as an exposed cohort, that is, they were admitted to a hospitalization area not belonging to the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology department, unlike the unexposed cohort, that included patients admitted to a hospitalization area assigned to the Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology department. RESULTS: Outlier admission was a risk factor for requiring a postoperative transfusion (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.05-2.21; P=.035), to have a postoperative stay longer than 5 days (RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.04-1.74; P=.038) and to suffer general postoperative complications (RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.02-1.78; P=.048). CONCLUSIONS: Outlier admission is a threat to the quality and safety of health care. In patients over 80 years of age, medical outliers is a risk factor for postoperative transfusion and systemic postoperative complications.

A novel TLR3 inhibitor encoded by African swine fever virus (ASFV).

African swine fever virus (ASFV) encodes proteins that manipulate important host antiviral mechanisms. Bioinformatic analysis of the ASFV genome revealed ORF I329L, a gene without any previous functional characterization as a possible inhibitor of TLR signaling. We demonstrate that ORF I329L encodes a highly glycosylated protein expressed in the cell membrane and on its surface. I329L also inhibited dsRNA-stimulated activation of NFκB and IRF3, two key players in innate immunity. Consistent with this, expression of I329L protein also inhibited the activation of interferon-ß and CCL5. Finally, overexpression of TRIF reversed I329L-mediated inhibition of both NFκB and IRF3 activation. Our results suggest that TRIF, a key MyD88-independent adaptor molecule, is a possible target of this viral host modulation gene. The demonstration of an ASFV host evasion molecule inhibiting TLR responses is consistent with the ability of this virus to infect vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, both of which deploy innate immunity controlled by conserved TLR systems.

Allelic polymorphism of human FcγRIIA-H/R131 receptor in American tegumentary leishmaniasis.

FcγRIIA binding to IgG subclasses with different levels of affinity is influenced by the polymorphism in the gene that encodes this receptor. The substitution of arginine (R) for histidine (H) in the 131 position defines three allelic patterns, H/H, R/R, and H/R, resulting in FcγRIIA-H/H131 affinity for IgG2 and higher affinity for IgG3 subclasses. Studies have shown the importance of genetic host factors in leishmaniasis and participation of FcγRs on the macrophage infection by amastigote forms and in the immune response to Leishmania sp. We analysed the influence of allelic diversity patterns of the receptor FcγRIIA on American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL). FcγRIIA-H/R131 polymorphism was determined by PCR followed by an allele-specific enzymatic digestion in 88 individuals with ATL and 98 healthy volunteer blood donors (control group). The genotypic and allelic distributions of FcγRIIA-H/R131 were similar among the studied groups as well in mild and severe clinical forms of ATL. Our results suggest no association between this allelic polymorphism and susceptibility or resistance to ATL, neither influencing the development of different clinical forms of this illness.

A prospective study of long-term dysphagia following total laryngectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the degree of dysphagia in patients before and after total laryngectomy using the Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients (PSS) and to determine the effects of post-operative radiation therapy, neck dissection, and pharyngoesophageal spasm on PSS scores. METHODS: We performed a controlled, prospective study at a tertiary referral university hospital. Twenty consecutive patients undergoing laryngectomy were included. Patients were followed for at least two years post-operative, without evidence of local, regional, or distant disease. Only patients with squamous cell carcinoma limited to the endolarynx requiring total laryngectomy with or without elective neck dissection for surgical management of cancer and with no pre-operative treatment were included. Dysphagia was evaluated by PSS prior to surgery and again two years postoperatively with an emphasis on eating in public and normalcy of diet domains. Video fluoroscopic evaluation of swallowing was performed one year after treatment. RESULTS: The relative number of patients with low mean scores in PSS (i.e. usually swallow paste of fluid food in presence of some selected persons or alone; < or = 50) increased after total laryngectomy (p = 0.04). Patients with lower scores reported more frequent spasm of the pharyngoesophageal segment (p = 0.005). Mean scores of both domains decreased after surgery (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Eating in public and normalcy of diet scores decreased in 50% of patients after total laryngectomy.