Factors Associated with Acute Telemental Health Consultations in Older Veterans.

Introduction: The United States Veterans Health Administration is a leader in the use of telemental health (TMH) to enhance access to mental healthcare amidst a nationwide shortage of mental health professionals. The Tennessee Valley Veterans Affairs (VA) Health System piloted TMH in its emergency department (ED) and urgent care clinic (UCC) in 2019, with full 24/7 availability beginning March 1, 2020. Following implementation, preliminary data demonstrated that veterans ≥65 years old were less likely to receive TMH than younger patients. We sought to examine factors associated with older veterans receiving TMH consultations in acute, unscheduled, outpatient settings to identify limitations in the current process. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted within the Tennessee Valley VA Health System. We included veterans ≥55 years who received a mental health consultation in the ED or UCC from April 1, 2020-September 30, 2022. Telemental health was administered by a mental health clinician (attending physician, resident physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) via iPad, whereas in-person evaluations were performed in the ED. We examined the influence of patient demographics, visit timing, chief complaint, and psychiatric history on TMH, using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Of the 254 patients included in this analysis, 177 (69.7%) received TMH. Veterans with high-risk chief complaints (suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, or agitation) were less likely to receive TMH consultation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.24-0.95). Compared to attending physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants were associated with increased TMH use (AOR 4.81, 95% CI 2.04-11.36), whereas consultation by resident physicians was associated with decreased TMH use (AOR 0.04, 95% CI 0.00-0.59). The UCC used TMH for all but one encounter. Patient characteristics including their visit timing, gender, additional medical complaints, comorbidity burden, and number of psychoactive medications did not influence use of TMH. Conclusion: High-risk chief complaints, location, and type of mental health clinician may be key determinants of telemental health use in older adults. This may help expand mental healthcare access to areas with a shortage of mental health professionals and prevent potentially avoidable transfers in low-acuity situations. Further studies and interventions may optimize TMH for older patients to ensure safe, equitable mental health care.

Developing a Quality Improvement Implementation Taxonomy for Organizational Employee Wellness Initiatives.

BACKGROUND: Standardized taxonomies (STs) facilitate knowledge representation and semantic interoperability within health care provision and research. However, a gap exists in capturing knowledge representation to classify, quantify, qualify, and codify the intersection of evidence and quality improvement (QI) implementation. This interprofessional case report leverages a novel semantic and ontological approach to bridge this gap. OBJECTIVES: This report had two objectives. First, it aimed to synthesize implementation barrier and facilitator data from employee wellness QI initiatives across Veteran Affairs health care systems through a semantic and ontological approach. Second, it introduced an original framework of this use-case-based taxonomy on implementation barriers and facilitators within a QI process. METHODS: We synthesized terms from combined datasets of all-site implementation barriers and facilitators through QI cause-and-effect analysis and qualitative thematic analysis. We developed the Quality Improvement and Implementation Taxonomy (QIIT) classification scheme to categorize synthesized terms and structure. This framework employed a semantic and ontological approach. It was built upon existing terms and models from the QI Plan, Do, Study, Act phases, the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research domains, and the fishbone cause-and-effect categories. RESULTS: The QIIT followed a hierarchical and relational classification scheme. Its taxonomy was linked to four QI Phases, five Implementing Domains, and six Conceptual Determinants modified by customizable Descriptors and Binary or Likert Attribute Scales. CONCLUSION: This case report introduces a novel approach to standardize the process and taxonomy to describe evidence translation to QI implementation barriers and facilitators. This classification scheme reduces redundancy and allows semantic agreements on concepts and ontological knowledge representation. Integrating existing taxonomies and models enhances the efficiency of reusing well-developed taxonomies and relationship modeling among constructs. Ultimately, employing STs helps generate comparable and sharable QI evaluations for forecast, leading to sustainable implementation with clinically informed innovative solutions.

Developing a Quality Improvement Implementation Taxonomy for Organizational Employee Wellness Initiatives.

BACKGROUND: Standardized taxonomies (STs) facilitate knowledge representation and semantic interoperability within health care provision and research. However, a gap exists in capturing knowledge representation to classify, quantify, qualify, and codify the intersection of evidence and quality improvement (QI) implementation. This interprofessional case report leverages a novel semantic and ontological approach to bridge this gap. OBJECTIVES: This report had two objectives. First, it aimed to synthesize implementation barrier and facilitator data from employee wellness QI initiatives across Veteran Affairs health care systems through a semantic and ontological approach. Second, it introduced an original framework of this use-case-based taxonomy on implementation barriers and facilitators within a QI process. METHODS: We synthesized terms from combined datasets of all-site implementation barriers and facilitators through QI cause-and-effect analysis and qualitative thematic analysis. We developed the Quality Improvement and Implementation Taxonomy (QIIT) classification scheme to categorize synthesized terms and structure. This framework employed a semantic and ontological approach. It was built upon existing terms and models from the QI Plan, Do, Study, Act phases, the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research domains, and the fishbone cause-and-effect categories. RESULTS: The QIIT followed a hierarchical and relational classification scheme. Its taxonomy was linked to four QI Phases, five Implementing Domains, and six Conceptual Determinants modified by customizable Descriptors and Binary or Likert Attribute Scales. CONCLUSION: This case report introduces a novel approach to standardize the process and taxonomy to describe evidence translation to QI implementation barriers and facilitators. This classification scheme reduces redundancy and allows semantic agreements on concepts and ontological knowledge representation. Integrating existing taxonomies and models enhances the efficiency of reusing well-developed taxonomies and relationship modeling among constructs. Ultimately, employing STs helps generate comparable and sharable QI evaluations for forecast, leading to sustainable implementation with clinically informed innovative solutions.

Analysis of the Circulating Metabolome of Patients with Cutaneous, Mucosal and Uveal Melanoma Reveals Distinct Metabolic Profiles with Implications for Response to Immunotherapy.

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) patients respond better to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) than mucosal and uveal melanoma patients (MM/UM). Aiming to explore these differences and understand the distinct response to ICI, we evaluated the serum metabolome of advanced CM, MM, and UM patients. Levels of 115 metabolites were analyzed in samples collected before ICI, using a targeted metabolomics platform. In our analysis, molecules involved in the tryptophan-kynurenine axis distinguished UM/MM from CM. UM/MM patients had higher levels of 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HKyn), whilst patients with CM were found to have higher levels of kynurenic acid (KA). The KA/3-HKyn ratio was significantly higher in CM versus the other subtypes. UM, the most ICI-resistant subtype, was also associated with higher levels of sphingomyelin-d18:1/22:1 and the polyamine spermine (SPM). Overall survival was prolonged in a cohort of CM patients with lower SPM levels, suggesting there are also conserved metabolic factors promoting ICI resistance across melanoma subtypes. Our study revealed a distinct metabolomic profile between the most resistant melanoma subtypes, UM and MM, compared to CM. Alterations within the kynurenine pathway, polyamine metabolism, and sphingolipid metabolic pathway may contribute to the poor response to ICI. Understanding the different metabolomic profiles introduces opportunities for novel therapies with potential synergic activity to ICI, to improve responses of UM/MM.

Impact of Adjuvant FOLFOX on Quality of Life and Peripheral Neuropathy Incidence in Patients With Gastric Cancer: A Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: Perioperative and adjuvant chemotherapy have demonstrated clinical benefits in localized gastric cancer. Nevertheless, the reports on their effects on patient's health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are scarce. Here, we prospectively assessed quality of life and the incidence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in a cohort of patients treated with adjuvant FOLFOX. METHODS: Localized stomach or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma patients who underwent curative resection were recruited at a single center. All patients received adjuvant FOLFOX6, and HRQoL and CIPN were assessed using the European organization for research and treatment of cancer quality life (EORTC) C30 and the EORTC CIPN20 questionnaires, respectively. Clinically significant deterioration of HRQoL was also assessed as a coprimary outcome in a longitudinal analysis. RESULTS: We recruited a total of 63 patients. Median age was 62.5 years, and 75% had stomach tumors. Twenty-four weeks after the start of treatment, the probability of being free from HRQoL deterioration and CIPN was 29% (95% confidence interval [CI] 18%-42%) and 6% (95% CI 2%-17%), respectively. Five-year disease-free survival was 45% (95% CI 24%-64%) and 5-year overall survival was 63% (95% CI 48%-76%). CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant FOLFOX is associated with a high rate of long-term survival in localized gastric cancer; nevertheless, it has detrimental effects on patients' quality of life.

The effect of telemental versus in-person mental health consults in the emergency department on 30-day utilization and processes of care.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to characterize how telemental health (TMH) versus in-person mental health consults affected 30-day postevaluation utilization outcomes and processes of care in Veterans presenting to the emergency department (ED) and urgent care clinic (UCC) with acute psychiatric complaints. METHODS: This exploratory retrospective cohort study was conducted in an ED and UCC located in a single Veterans Affairs system. A mental health provider administered TMH via iPad. The primary outcome was a composite of return ED/UCC visits, rehospitalizations, or death within 30 days. The following processes of care were collected during the index visit: changes to home psychiatric medications, admission, involuntary psychiatric hold placement, parenteral benzodiazepine or antipsychotic medication use, and physical restraints or seclusion. Data were abstracted from the Veterans Affairs electronic health record and the Clinical Data Warehouse. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were reported. RESULTS: Of the 496 Veterans in this analysis, 346 (69.8%) received TMH, and 150 (30.2%) received an in-person mental health evaluation. There was no significant difference in the primary outcome of 30-day return ED/UCC, rehospitalization, or death (aOR 1.47, 95% CI 0.87-2.49) between the TMH and in-person groups. TMH was significantly associated with increased ED/UCC length of stay (aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.03-2.06) and decreased use of involuntary psychiatric holds (aOR 0.42, 95% CI 0.23-0.75). There were no associations between TMH and the other processes-of-care outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: TMH was not significantly associated with the 30-day composite outcome of return ED/UCC visits, rehospitalizations, and death compared with traditional in-person mental health evaluations. TMH was significantly associated with increased ED/UCC length of stay and decreased odds of placing an involuntary psychiatric hold. Future studies are required to confirm these findings and, if confirmed, explore the potential mechanisms for these associations.

Oncological resection, myasthenia gravis and staging as prognostic factors in thymic tumours: a Chilean case series.

BACKGROUND: Thymic epithelial tumours are rare and highly heterogeneous. Reports from the United States suggest an overall incidence of 0.15 per 100,000/year. In contrast, the incidence of these tumours in Latin America is largely unknown and reports are scarce, somewhat limited to case reports. METHODS: Herein, we report a series of 38 thymic tumours from a single institution, retrospectively incorporated into this study. Patient characteristics and outcomes including age, sex, stage, paraneoplastic syndromes, treatment regimens and the date of decease were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: Most cases in our series were females and young age (<50 years old) and early stage by Masaoka-Koga or the Moran staging systems. Also, a 34% of patients had myasthenia gravis (MG). Next, we analysed overall survival rates in our series and found that the quality of surgery (R0, R1 or R2), MG status and staging (Masaoka-Koga, Moran or TNM) were prognostic factors. Finally, we compared our data to larger thymic tumour series. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our study confirms complete surgical resection as the standard, most effective treatment for thymic epithelial tumours. Also, the Masaoka-Koga staging system remains as a reliable prognostic factor but also the Moran staging system should be considered for thymomas.

Pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, but not the addition of carboplatin, is associated with improved survival in Chilean triple negative breast cancer patients: a report of real world data.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer death for Chilean women. About 11% of cases are triple-negative (TN) BC. These are characterised by poor prognosis, higher risk of early recurrence and visceral dissemination versus other BC subtypes. Current standard treatment for early-stage non-metastatic TNBC patients consists of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by surgery and radiotherapy. Pathological complete response (pCR) to NACT is associated with an increase in survival rates. In general, NACT and adjuvant regimens involve similar cytotoxic drugs. Recent studies have postulated that the use of platinum compounds in TNBC would increase response rates. However, their effects on patient survival remain uncertain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrieved and analysed medical records from a total of 156 Chilean stage I-III TNBC female patients that received NACT and compared survival rates using carboplatin (Cb)-containing versus non-Cb-containing regimens at two health cancer centres. RESULTS: Median age was 51 years (range: 24-81); 13.5% (n = 21) received Cb-containing regimens, 80.1% (n = 125) received sequential anthracyclines plus taxanes; 29.5% (n = 46) of the total group achieved pCR, 28% for the standard treatment and 35% (n = 8) for the Cb-containing group (p = 0.59). We confirmed pCR was associated with prolonged overall survival, invasive and distant disease-free survival (Log-rank p = 0.0236). But the addition of Cb was not associated with differences in survival measures (Log-rank p = 0.5216). CONCLUSIONS: To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the first report on real-world data in the Chilean population assessing the effect of Cb-containing NACT in TNBC. The authors' results suggest no survival benefit by the addition of Cb to standard NACT. However, we confirm an increase in survival associated to pCR regardless of treatment.

A randomized, noninferiority, controlled trial of two doses of intravenous subdissociative ketamine for analgesia in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine if 0.15 mg/kg intravenous (IV) subdissociative ketamine is noninferior to 0.3 mg/kg in emergency department (ED) patients with acute pain. METHODS: This randomized, prospective, double-blinded, noninferiority trial included patients' age 18 to 59 years presenting to the ED with acute moderate to severe pain. Subjects were randomized to IV subdissociative ketamine, 0.15 mg/kg ("low" dose) or 0.30 mg/kg ("high" dose), over 15 minutes. The primary endpoint was the 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS) pain score between groups at 30 minutes. Secondary endpoints included NRS pain scores at 15 and 60 minutes; change in NRS at 15, 30, and 60 minutes; rescue analgesia; and adverse effects. The noninferiority limit, δ0 , was set to 1.3. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients were included in each group. After the differences in the baseline NRS score were adjusted for, the mean NRS score at 30 minutes was 4.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.8 to 5.5) in the low-dose group and 5.0 (95% CI = 4.2 to 5.8) in the high-dose group (mean difference = 0.4, 95% CI = -0.8 to 1.5), indicating that the low-dose subdissociative ketamine was noninferior to the high dose (lower limit of 95% CI = -0.8 to ≥1.3 = -δ0 ). Adverse effects were similar at 30 minutes. At 15 minutes, the high-dose group experienced greater change in NRS; however, more adverse effects occurred. CONCLUSION: Our data did not detect a large difference in analgesia or adverse effect profile between 0.15 mg/kg IV ketamine and 0.30 mg/kg in the short-term treatment of acute pain in the ED.

A Molecular Stratification of Chilean Gastric Cancer Patients with Potential Clinical Applicability.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a complex and heterogeneous disease. In recent decades, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG) defined GC molecular subtypes. Unfortunately, these systems require high-cost and complex techniques and consequently their impact in the clinic has remained limited. Additionally, most of these studies are based on European, Asian, or North American GC cohorts. Herein, we report a molecular classification of Chilean GC patients into five subtypes, based on immunohistochemical (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) methods. These were Epstein-Barr virus positive (EBV+), mismatch repair-deficient (MMR-D), epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like, and accumulated (p53+) or undetected p53 (p53-). Given its lower costs this system has the potential for clinical applicability. Our results confirm relevant molecular alterations previously reported by TCGA and ACRG. We confirm EBV+ and MMR-D patients had the best prognosis and could be candidates for immunotherapy. Conversely, EMT-like displayed the poorest prognosis; our data suggest FGFR2 or KRAS could serve as potential actionable targets for these patients. Finally, we propose a low-cost step-by-step stratification system for GC patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Latin American report on a molecular classification for GC. Pending further validation, this stratification system could be implemented into the routine clinic.

First-line endocrine therapy for advanced breast cancer. A real-world study at a Latin American university health institution.

Objective: Clinical guidelines recommend the use of endocrine therapy (ET) in advanced hormone receptor positive (HR+) human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 negative (HER2-) breast cancer (BC) patients in the absence of visceral disease or ET resistance. Furthermore, studies indicate similar response and survival rates using ET or cytotoxic chemotherapy (CT).Methods: Herein, we assessed clinical characteristics, type of systemic therapy and survival rates of advanced HR + HER2-BC patients in our database.Results: A total of 172 advanced HR + HER2-BC patients were treated at our institution between 1997 and 2019. Sixty percent received first-line ET (4% received combined ET). Median age of this subset was 55 years (range: 30-86). Similarly, the median age of patients that received CT was 54 years (range: 21-83). Over time, 30% of patients received ET in the 2000-2005 period; this increased to 70% in the 2016-2019 period (p = .045). Overall survival (OS) was 97 months and 51 months for patients treated with ET or CT, respectively (p = .002).Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge this is the first study assessing the use of ET in Chilean advanced HR + HER2-BC patients. Several patients in our institution receive CT without indication. The increase in ET usage over time can be attributed to better and faster immunohistochemical detection methods for Estrogen Receptor (ER), changes in educational and government policies, and a wider variety of ET options. Finally, clinical trials have failed to demonstrate a substantial benefit of CT over ET in this setting.

Retrospective Analysis of Chilean and Mexican GI Stromal Tumor Registries: A Tale of Two Latin American Realities.

PURPOSE: Like other malignancies, GI stromal tumors (GIST) are highly heterogeneous. This not only applies to histologic features and malignant potential, but also to geographic incidence rates. Several studies have reported GIST incidence and prevalence in Europe and North America. In contrast, GIST incidence rates in South America are largely unknown, and only a few studies have reported GIST prevalence in Latin America. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our study was part of a collaborative effort between Chile and Mexico, called Salud con Datos. We sought to determine GIST prevalence and patients' clinical characteristics, including survival rates, through retrospective analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 624 patients were included in our study. Our results found significant differences between Mexican and Chilean registries, such as stage at diagnosis, primary tumor location, CD117-positive immunohistochemistry status, mitotic index, and tumor size. Overall survival (OS) times for Chilean and Mexican patients with GIST were 134 and 156 months, respectively. No statistically significant differences in OS were detected by sex, age, stage at diagnosis, or recurrence status in both cohorts. As expected, patients categorized as being at high risk of recurrence displayed a trend toward poorer progression-free survival in both registries. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest report from Latin America assessing the prevalence, clinical characteristics, postsurgery risk of recurrence, and outcomes of patients with GIST. Our data confirm surgery as the standard treatment of localized disease and confirm a poorer prognosis in patients with regional or distant disease. Finally, observed differences between registries could be a result of registration bias.

Shock index in the emergency department: utility and limitations.

Shock index (SI) is defined as the heart rate (HR) divided by systolic blood pressure (SBP). It has been studied in patients either at risk of or experiencing shock from a variety of causes: trauma, hemorrhage, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, sepsis, and ruptured ectopic pregnancy. While HR and SBP have traditionally been used to characterize shock in these patients, they often appear normal in the compensatory phase of shock and can be confounded by factors such as medications (eg, antihypertensives, beta-agonists). SI >1.0 has been widely found to predict increased risk of mortality and other markers of morbidity, such as need for massive transfusion protocol activation and admission to intensive care units. Recent research has aimed to study the use of SI in patients immediately on arrival to the emergency department (ED). In this review, we summarize the literature pertaining to use of SI across a variety of settings in the management of ED patients, in order to provide context for use of this measure in the triage and management of critically ill patients.

High Proportion of Potential Candidates for Immunotherapy in a Chilean Cohort of Gastric Cancer Patients: Results of the FORCE1 Study.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a heterogeneous disease. This heterogeneity applies not only to morphological and phenotypic features but also to geographical variations in incidence and mortality rates. As Chile has one of the highest mortality rates within South America, we sought to define a molecular profile of Chilean GCs (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03158571/(FORCE1)). Solid tumor samples and clinical data were obtained from 224 patients, with subsets analyzed by tissue microarray (TMA; n = 90) and next generation sequencing (NGS; n = 101). Most demographic and clinical data were in line with previous reports. TMA data indicated that 60% of patients displayed potentially actionable alterations. Furthermore, 20.5% were categorized as having a high tumor mutational burden, and 13% possessed micro-satellite instability (MSI). Results also confirmed previous studies reporting high Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positivity (13%) in Chilean-derived GC samples suggesting a high proportion of patients could benefit from immunotherapy. As expected, TP53 and PIK3CA were the most frequently altered genes. However, NGS demonstrated the presence of TP53, NRAS, and BRAF variants previously unreported in current GC databases. Finally, using the Kendall method, we report a significant correlation between EBV+ status and programmed death ligand-1 (PDL1)+ and an inverse correlation between p53 mutational status and MSI. Our results suggest that in this Chilean cohort, a high proportion of patients are potential candidates for immunotherapy treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first in South America to assess the prevalence of actionable targets and to examine a molecular profile of GC patients.

Early recognition of sepsis through emergency medical services pre-hospital screening.

BACKGROUND: The Surviving Sepsis Campaign implemented a 3-hour bundle including blood cultures, lactate, intravenous fluids, and antibiotics to improve mortality in sepsis. Though difficult to achieve, bundle compliance is associated with decreased hospital mortality. We predict that the implementation of an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) sepsis screening tool will improve 3-hour bundle compliance. OBJECTIVES: To determine if pre-hospital sepsis screening improves 3-hour bundle compliance. METHODS: Prospective implementation of an EMS sepsis screening tool (June 2016-November 2016) was compared to a historical control (August 2015-March 2016). The protocol was facilitated via communication between nurses and EMS personnel. The primary outcome was 3-hour bundle compliance. Secondary outcomes included time to individual bundle components. RESULTS: Of 135 patients screened, 20 were positive and included in the study, and subsequently compared to 43 control patients. Baseline demographics were similar, except median Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was higher for the pre-EMS tool group (5 [interquartile range (IQR) 2-8] vs. 2 [IQR 1-4], p < 0.01). Three-hour bundle compliance was significantly higher in the EMS tool group (80% vs. 44.2%, p < 0.01). The pre-EMS tool group had lower median time to lactate (15 [IQR 0-35] vs. 46 min [IQR 34-57], p < 0.001), 30 mL/kg IV fluids (6.5 [IQR 0-38] vs. 46 min [IQR 27.5-72], p < 0.001), and, although not significant, antibiotics (63.5 [IQR 44-92] vs. 72 min [IQR 59.5-112], p = 0.26). CONCLUSION: Implementation of an EMS sepsis screening tool resulted in improved 3-hour bundle compliance compared to retrospective control.

Is preemptive antifungal therapy a good alternative to empirical treatment in prolonged febrile neutropenia? / ¿Es la terapia antifúngica "preemptive" (anticipada) una buena alternativa a la terapia empírica en pacientes con neutropenia febril prolongada?

Patients with prolonged febrile neutropenia are at high risk of invasive fungal infection, so it has been standard practice to initiate empirical antifungal therapy in these cases. However, this strategy is associated with important toxicity, so diagnostic test-guided preemptive antifungal therapy has been proposed as an alternative. Searching in Epistemonikos database, which is maintained by screening 30 databases, we identified three systematic reviews including twelve studies overall. Four randomized controlled trials addressed the question of this article. We combined the evidence using meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings following the GRADE approach. We concluded it is not clear whether preemptive strategy affects mortality because the certainty of the evidence is very low, but it might slightly decrease the use of antifungal agents in patients with prolonged febrile neutropenia.

La neutropenia febril prolongada conlleva un alto riesgo de desarrollar infecciones fúngicas invasoras, por lo que habitualmente se administra terapia antifúngica empírica en estos casos. Sin embargo, esta se asocia a importantes efectos adversos, por lo que se ha propuesto como alternativa la estrategia "preemptive" o anticipada, es decir, la indicación de antifúngicos sólo ante la evidencia indirecta de infección fúngica invasora. Utilizando la base de datos Epistemonikos, la cual es mantenida mediante búsquedas en 30 bases de datos, identificamos tres revisiones sistemáticas que en conjunto incluyen doce estudios. Cuatro estudios aleatorizados evaluaron la pregunta abordada en este artículo. Realizamos un metanálisis y tablas de resumen de los resultados utilizando el método GRADE. Concluimos que no está claro si la estrategia "preemptive" tiene algún efecto sobre la mortalidad porque la certeza de la evidencia es muy baja, pero podría disminuir levemente el uso de antifúngicos en pacientes con neutropenia febril prolongada.

[Streptococcus suis meningitis in pig farmers: report of first two cases in Chile]. / Meningitis bacteriana aguda por Streptococcus suis en criadores de cerdos: comunicación de los primeros dos casos en Chile.

UNLABELLED: Human infection by Streptococcus suis is a zoonosis with a known occupational risk. Meningitis is its most frequent clinical manifestation. We present the first two cases in Chile. FIRST CASE: 54-year-old female patient, pig-farmer. She presented headache, vomiting, confusion and meningismus. She presented septic shock. Second case: 48-year-old male patient, also pig farmer, presented headache, vomiting and meningismus. A Gram's staining of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed gram-positive cocci in both cases. Ceftriaxone and dexamethasone treatment was administered. The CSF cultures were positive for Streptococcus suis serotype 2. The patients experienced a good outcome, without neurological sequelae at the time of discharge. It is considerable to evaluate epidemiologic factors in order to suspect this etiological agent in cases of meningitis. These cases enhance the need of heighten awareness of potential for occupational exposure and infection by this emerging human pathogen. Educating population at risk about simple preventive measures must be considered.

Meningitis bacteriana aguda por Streptococcus suis en criadores de cerdos: comunicación de los primeros dos casos en Chile / Streptococcus suis meningitis in pig farmers: report of first two cases in Chile

Human infection by Streptococcus suis is a zoonosis with a known occupational risk. Meningitis is its most frequent clinical manifestation. We present the first two cases in Chile. First case: 54-year-old female patient, pig-farmer. She presented headache, vomiting, confusion and meningismus. She presented septic shock. Second case: 48-year-old male patient, also pig farmer, presented headache, vomiting and meningismus. A Gram's staining of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed gram-positive cocci in both cases. Ceftriaxone and dexamethasone treatment was administered. The CSF cultures were positive for Streptococcus suis serotype 2. The patients experienced a good outcome, without neurological sequelae at the time of discharge. It is considerable to evaluate epidemiologic factors in order to suspect this etiological agent in cases of meningitis. These cases enhance the need of heighten awareness of potential for occupational exposure and infection by this emerging human pathogen. Educating population at risk about simple preventive measures must be considered.

La infección humana por Streptococcus suis es una zoonosis con riesgo ocupacional conocido, siendo la meningitis aguda su manifestación clínica más frecuente. Se presentan los dos primeros casos en Chile. Primer caso: Mujer de 54 años con un cuadro de cefalea y vómitos, confusión y signos meníngeos. Evolucionó con un shock séptico. Segundo caso: Varón de 48 años, refirió cefalea y vómitos. Presentó signos meníngeos al examen físico. En ambos casos en la tinción de Gram de líquido cefalorraquídeo (LCR) se observaron cocáceas grampositivas. Fueron tratados con ceftriaxona y dexametasona. El cultivo de LCR fue positivo en ambos casos para S. suis serotipo 2. En los dos pacientes la evolución clínica fue favorable, sin alteraciones neurológicas al alta. En ambos casos se obtuvo en forma retrospectiva el antecedente de realizar labores de crianza de ganado porcino. Se destaca la importancia de investigar los antecedentes epidemiológicos para sospechar este agente etiológico en meningitis aguda. Se debe considerar el riesgo ocupacional en una posible infección por este patógeno humano emergente y educar a la población en riesgo sobre medidas preventivas simples.