[Will the climate change affect the mortality from prostate cancer?]. / Afectara el cambio climatico a la mortalidad por cancer de prostata?

UNLABELLED: The global heating of the atmosphere, as well as the increase of the exposition to sunlight, will be associated with a decrease of the mortality from prostate cancer, due to an increase of the plasmatic levels of vitamin D. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate if climatological factors (temperature, rainfall, and number of sunlight hours per year) may influence the mortality associated with prostate cancer over a five-year period. METHODS: In this ecology type study we will evaluate the trends of prostate tumors associated mortality in the period between January 1st 1998 and December 31st 2002, in the geographic area of Spain (17 Autonomic communities-CA-and 2 Autonomic cities- Ceuta and Melilla-, 43 million inhabitants). Demographic and mortality data were obtained from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) and climatological data about temperature and rainfall were obtained from the National Institute of Meteorology (INM). The provinces were classified using the climatic index of Martonne (defined as the quotient between annual rainfall and mean annual temperature plus 10). Areas with a quotient below 5 ml/m2/o C are considered extremely arid zones; between 5 and 15 ml/m2/o C are considered arid zones, between 15 and 20 ml/m2/o C semiarid zones; between 20 and 30 ml/m2/o C subhumid zones; between 30 and 60 ml/m2/o C humid zones; and over 60 ml/m2/o C superhumid zones. We compared mortality rates between different climatic areas using the Jonckheere-Terpstra test for six independent samples following the index of Martonne. All calculations were performed using the SPSS v 13.0 for Windows software. A logistic regression model was performed to identify climate factors associated with prostate cancer mortality. A likeliness of the null hypotheses inferior to 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Prostate cancer mortality presented statistically significant differences, being higher in provinces with higher Martonne index (p < 0.001) and lower in areas with a greater number of sunlight hours per year (p = 0.041). The adjusted mortality rate associated with extreme aridity regions and was 21.51 cases/100,000 males year, whereas in humid zones it was 35.87 cases/100,000 males years. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality associated with prostate cancer is significantly superior in regions with less exposition to the sunlight. The climate change may lead to a modification of the main epidemiologic patterns, and it may be associated with a modification of cancer mortality rates. Nevertheless, these results should be taken with caution and should be confirmed by prospective studies.

[Analysis of effective renal donation from brain-dead donors in a level II hospital over 10 years]. / Análisis de la donación renal efectiva por muerte encefálica en un Hospital de Nivel 2 de la Comunidad de Madrid en un periodo de 10 años.

OBJECTIVES: The epidemiological characteristics of brain-dead donors have changed with time without a significant increase in the rate of explants performed. The objective of this article is to evaluate if the epidemiological characteristics (sex, age, and death cause) have changed with time, and To evaluate if the rate of effective explants is adjusted to a quality standard. METHODS: All patients who became renal donors (one or two renal units) between January 1st 1995 and December 31st 2005 in a level II hospital with intensive care unit but without neurosurgery, which is not a reference center for severe polytrauma patients, within a health-care area of the Autonomic Community of Madrid (Mostoles, 200.000 inhabitants), were included in this retrospective study. Cause of death, age, HBV and HCV serologies, as well as multiorgan donation (liver, pancreas, bowel, heart, lungs, and tissues). Additionally, the differences between two consecutive periods of time will be analyzed: 1995-1999 and 2000-2005. SPSS v 13.0 software (Chicano, Illinois, USA) was used for the statistical analysis; the T test for independent samples was applied, considering an alpha error inferior to 0.05 for significance. A minimum of 0.2% of the total number of hospital deaths was considered as quality indicator for the adjustment of donation rate. RESULTS: Over the whole study period there were 4314 deaths in the hospital. Forty-six renal harvestings were performed with a mean donor age of 58.1 yr. (mean standard error (SE)14.25). In the first study period (1995-1999) there were 20 donations with a donor mean age of 52.8 yr. (SE 12.13), and there were 26 donations in the second period (2000-2005) with a mean age of 62.23 yr. (SE 14.49). Nevertheless, there were no statistically significant differences between both groups (p = 2.273). A total of eight patients were HBV positive (17.4%) and four (8.7%) HCV positive. In 80.4% of the patients the cause of brain death was brain hemorrhage (37 patients), 15.2% hypoxic encephalopathy (7 patients), one patient died due to fat embolism after motor vehicle accident, and another one from thrombotic purpura. There were no differences in death cause between both periods (p> 2.05). Hepatic extraction was performed in 74% of the patients, heart and lung in 6.5%, pancreas in 4.3%, and tissues in 50%. Donation rate was 7.05%. CONCLUSIONS: 1. There is a trend to higher brain-dead-donor age, although it is not statistically significant, probably due to sample size. 2. The rate of brain-dead donor detection is over quality standards. Nevertheless, training programs to detect these patients and improve results should be established at the hospital level.

[Encrusted pyelitis in patients with urinary diversion]. / Pielitis incrustante en pacientes con derivación urinaria.

OBJECTIVE: This is a case of Encrusted Pyelitis (EP) caused by Corynebacterium urealyticum (CU) in a patient who had undergone a cystectomy and Bricker type urinary diversion 28 months beforehand. METHODS/RESULTS: After the immediate post-operative period no urinary catheterisation or any other urological procedure was performed on the patient. Before surgery, the patient presented non functional of the right kidney, secondary to a lithiasic obstructive uropathy. Clinical symptoms were deteriorated renal function, anuria, haematuria, pyrexia and left lumbar pain. It was suspected that the patient had this pathology and this was fundamental in diagnosis. Helicoid CT was the principal method used to show calcification plaques on the wall of the left renal pelvis, and selective culture of CU confirmed the diagnosis. Early commencement of treatment with vancomycin at an initial dosage of 500 mg/12 hours, and subsequent adjustment of dosage according to blood drug levels, achieved negative urine culture within a fortnight. Oral acidification was effected using acetohidroxamic acid 125 mg/12 hours, and it was continued until CT confirmed the disappearance or considerable reduction of the pyelic calcification plaques. CONCLUSION: The presence of EP in patients with urinary diversion is a matter worthy of consideration, even in patients who have not undergone recent urological procedures. Awareness of risk factors and early commencement of effective treatment may improve the prognosis of these patients.