Assessment of the quality of life of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. / Evaluación de la calidad de vida de los pacientes con enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal.

INTRODUCTION: Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are diseases that cause a significant impact on patients' quality of life. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study, carried out at Torrecárdenas Hospital (Almería). Patients over 14 years of age diagnosed with CD or UC were included. For the assessment of HRQoL, the reduced 9-item IBDQ-9 questionnaire was used. RESULTS: 106 patients with a mean age of 44 years were included, with a female predominance. Forty-five percent of the patients in the sample had UC compared to 55% with CD. Of the patients, 69.8% were in clinical remission. The median questionnaire score was 60.8 points out of 100. Statistically significant differences were observed between sexes, with worse HRQoL for females. No differences were observed between patients with UC and CD. Differences were also detected between patients who underwent surgery and those who did not. A negative association was observed between the number of flares and the questionnaire score. CONCLUSIONS: In our study population, there is an acceptable HRQoL, with no differences observed between CD and UC. Female sex, absence of clinical remission, number of previous outbreaks, and surgery have a negative association with HRQoL.

Efecto de un tratamiento contextual para la regulación de la ira y la inflexibilidad psicológica en adultos jóvenes colombianos

Antecedentes: en la actualidad, son escasas las intervenciones para el manejo de la regulación problemática de la ira y la inflexibilidad psicológica en adultos jóvenes afectados. Objetivo: evaluar la eficacia de una intervención breve, en formato grupal y virtual para la regulación problemática de la ira y la reducción de la inflexibilidad psicológica. Método: un grupo de 40 adultos jóvenes colombianos (40% hombres; 60%mujeres; M = 25.3 años; DE = 3.35) fueron asignados aleatoriamente a una de dos condiciones: intervención basada en la terapia de aceptación y compromiso (ACT) para regulación de la ira y la reducción de la inflexibilidad psicológica y lista de espera. Se evaluaron la evitación experiencial, la fusión cognitiva, la conexión con el momento presente, los valores y la percepción de efectos de la expresión problemática de la ira. Resultados: se encontraron diferencias significativas contamaños de efecto grandes en las variables de evitación experiencial, defusión cognitiva, contacto con el momento presente y obstrucción en valores. Las variables de progreso en valores y percepción de efectos de la ira presentaron cambios en el grupo experimental, pero no en su comparación con el grupo control. Conclusión: los resultados aportaron evidencia sobre la eficacia de esta intervención, aunque se requieren más estudios que así lo confirmen. Palabras clave: terapia de aceptación y compromiso;regulación de la ira; inflexibilidad psicológica; adultos jóvenes;intervención virtual.

Background: At present, interventions for the management of problematic anger regulation and psychological inflexibility inaffected young adults are scarce. Objetive: to evaluate the efficacy of a brief intervention, in a group and virtual format, for anger regulation and psychological inflexibility reduction. Method: A group of 40 Colombian young adults (40% male; 60% female; M = 25.3 years; SD = 3.35) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based intervention for anger regulation andpsychological inflexibility reduction and waiting list. Experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, connection to thepresent moment, values, and perception of negative effects of problematic anger expression were assessed. Results: Significant differences with large effect sizes were found in the experiential avoidance, cognitive defusion, contact with the present moment, and obstruction in values variables. The variables of progressin values and perception of the effects of anger presented changes in the experimental group, but not in their comparison with the control group. Conclusions: the results provide devidence on the efficacy of this intervention, although more studies are required to confirm this. Keywords: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Angerregulation; Psychological inflexibility; Young adults; Virtualintervention.

Burnout in Palliative Care Nurses, Prevalence and Risk Factors: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

Palliative care nurses are exposed to hard situations, death, and duel feelings in their daily practice. These, and other work stressors, can favor burnout development. Thus, it is important to analyze the prevalence and risk factors of burnout in palliative care nurses and estimate its prevalence. A systematic review and meta-analysis was done with quantitative primary studies. n = 15 studies were included with n = 6 studies including information for the meta-analysis. The meta-analytic prevalence estimation of emotional exhaustion was 24% (95% CI 16-34%), for depersonalization was 30% (95% CI 18-44%) and for low personal accomplishment was 28% with a sample of n = 693 palliative care nurses. The main variables related with burnout are occupational variables followed by psychological variables. Some interventions to improve working conditions of palliative care nurses should be implemented to reduce burnout.

Prevalence of burnout syndrome in oncology nursing: A meta-analytic study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and low personal accomplishment in nursing professionals in oncology services. METHODS: A meta-analytical study was performed. The search was carried out in March 2017 in Pubmed, CINAHL, Scopus, Scielo, Proquest, CUIDEN, and LILACS databases. Studies using Maslach Burnout Inventory for the assessment of burnout were included. RESULTS: The total sample of oncology nurses was n = 9959. The total number of included studies was n = 17, with n = 21 samples for the meta-analysis of emotional exhaustion and n = 18 for depersonalization and low personal accomplishment. The prevalence of emotional exhaustion and of depersonalization was 30% (95% CI = 26%-33%) and 15% (95% CI = 9%-23%), respectively, and that of low personal performance was 35% (95% CI = 27%-43%). CONCLUSIONS: The are many oncology nurses with emotional exhaustion and low levels of personal accomplishment. The presence and the risk of burnout among these staff members are considerable.

Burnout and its relationship with personality factors in oncology nurses.

PURPOSE: To assess burnout levels in oncology nurses, to evaluate at what stage of burnout suffering they are and to analyze the relationship between burnout with personality factors. METHOD: A quantitative, observational, cross-sectional multicenter study was done. Oncology nurses (n = 101) from the Andalusian Health Service (Andalusia, Spain) were included. The main variables were personality factors, assessed with the NEO-FFI questionnaire, anxiety and depression, assessed with the Educational-Clinical Questionnaire: Anxiety and Depression, and burnout, evaluated with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Student t-statistic was used for hypothesis contrasts and Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to establish the association between personality factors and burnout. RESULTS: According to the burnout phases model, 29.6% of the sample is in the most severe phases. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization are positively correlated with neuroticism and negatively correlated with agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion and openness. Personal accomplishment has a negative correlation with neuroticism and negative correlations with agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion and openness. Finally, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization have a positive correlation with anxiety and depression, while personal accomplishment has a negative correlation with anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of oncology nurses are in the most severe stages of burnout suffering. Personality factors have a key role in burnout development. The importance of personality factors in burnout development should be taken into account.

Púrpura de Schonlein-Henoch con afectación peniana: Caso clínico / Henoch-Schonlein purpura involving the penis: A case report

La púrpura de Schonlein-Henoch es responsable de la mayoría de los casos de vasculitis sistémica en niños. La forma de presentación clásica se caracteriza por púrpura palpable, glomerulonefritis, artralgias y dolor abdominal. Aunque manifestaciones genitourinarias, como la afectación testicular y escrotal, han sido ampliamente descritas, otras, como la afectación peniana, son muy raras. Presentamos el caso de un varón de 6 años que consultó por presentar un exantema purpúrico en el glande, el prepucio y el cuerpo del pene, junto con edema doloroso en dicha región. En los tres días previos, había presentado una historia de fiebre, exantema purpúrico palpable en las nalgas y los miembros inferiores, y artralgia de la muñeca derecha. Fue ingresado con el diagnóstico de púrpura de Schonlein-Henoch con afectación peniana y se inició un tratamiento corticoideo oral (prednisona). A los dos días del inicio del tratamiento, se observó una notable mejoría de los síntomas.

Schonlein-Henoch purpura accounts for the majority of cases of systemic vasculitis in children. Classical presentation is characterized by palpable purpura, glomerulonephritis, arthralgias and abdominal pain. Although genitourinary manifestations, in form of testicular and scrotal involvement, have been widely described, penile involvement remains an extremely rare complication. We report a case of a 6-year-old boy who presented with purpuric rash on the glans, prepuce and penile shaft, with painful edema in the penile region. He also had a 3-days history of fever, palpable purpuric rash on the buttocks and lower extremities along with right wrist pain. He was admitted with the diagnosis of Schonlein-Henoch purpura with penile involvement. After 2 days on oral steroids therapy (prednisone) a marked improvement was observed.

[Annual Review of COPD]. / Revista del año de la EPOC.

There have been significant advances in the knowledge in the thoracic and extrathoracic aspects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the past few years. COPD is associated with numerous comorbidities, the prevalences of which have recently been evaluated. Dyspnea has been shown to be associated with neuropsychiatric disturbances, such as anxiety. Muscular dysfunction has been associated with inflammation and oxidative stress, in which respiratory muscle satellite cells play an important role in repair. Respiratory rehabilitation and physiotherapy must form an important part of individualised patient treatment analogous to the pharmacological treatment. As regards acute exacerbations, infection is the cause of 75% of them, sputum characteristics and the suspicion of Pseudomonad being key factors in the antibiotic treatment. Questions, such as markers which can detect the origin of the infection, prognostic factors, or the role of short stay pneumology units, are of particular importance. The variability in COPD treatments and the lack of suitable international clinical guidelines, continue to be subjects of debate. To the poor use of the treatment schemes in the guidelines, can be added the irregular uses of inhaled medication, the insufficient use of medical advice or the low intervention in cigarette smoking in all age groups.

[A study of 73 cases of bronchial tuberculosis]. / Tuberculosis bronquial. Estudio de 73 casos.

We reviewed 73 cases of bronchial tuberculosis (59 adults and 14 children) diagnosed between 1973 and 2000 using histologic and bacteriologic criteria. The most frequent symptom was cough. Radiographic studies showed an alveolar pattern in 35 cases and obstructive pneumonitis or atelectasis in 28 cases. Endoscopy results showed that granuloma was more common in children under 16 years of age (64%) than in adults (22%). Granulomatous or ulcerative bronchitis was significantly more frequent in adults (66%; P< .005). Bronchial tuberculosis is not an exceptional occurrence. Clinical and radiographic signs are nonspecific. Endoscopy images of granuloma and granulomatous or ulcerative bronchitis may be similar to those of bronchial neoplasia. Diagnosis therefore requires fiberoptic bronchoscopy combined with histology and microbiology studies.

Desempeño de los sistemas Cholera-SMART® y Pathogen-Detection-Kit® en el diagnóstico rápido del cólera / Performance of Cholera-SMART® and Pathogen Detection-Kit® in the quick diagnosis of cholera

Objetivos. Comparar el desempeño de dos sistemas rápidos de diagnóstico de cólera con el método de cultivo y proponer una estrategia que permita mejorar la especificidad y la sensibilidad de estos sistemas y disminuir los costos del diagnóstico. Métodos. En el estudio participaron el Centro Nacional de Referencia en Bacteriología (CNRB) del Instituto Costarricense de Investigación y Enseñanza en Nutrición y Salud (INCIENSA) y hospitales de las provincias de Alajuela, Guanacaste y San José, en Costa Rica. Se emplearon 237 muestras de heces para evaluar el desempeño de dos pruebas rápidas para el diagnóstico de Vibrio cholerae O1: Pathogen Detection Kit® (PDK, Intelligent Monitoring Systems, Gainsville, Florida, EUA) y Cholera-SMART® (New Horizons Diagnostics Corp., Columbia, Maryland, EUA), tanto en forma directa (SMART directo y PDK directo) como a partir de cultivos de enriquecimiento de 6 horas (SMART-6 y PDK-6) y de 18 horas (SMART18 y PDK-18) a 37 °C en agua de peptona alcalina. Las muestras diarreicas y semiformadas se cultivaron y se evaluaron con las pruebas rápidas directas; cuando el resultado inicial era negativo se repitieron a las 6 y 18 horas de cultivo. Los hisopados rectales y fecales se evaluaron a partir de cultivos de enriquecimiento de 6 y de 18 horas. Adicionalmente se estudió la sensibilidad analítica de los sistemas rápidos con cultivos puros de 18 a 24 horas de incubación de V. cholerae O1 (cepa SOS-833, CNRB, Costa Rica) y se evaluó la utilidad del análisis microscópico de la motilidad para racionalizar el uso de las técnicas rápidas. Resultados. La sensibilidad, tanto de SMART directo como de PDK directo, fue de 100% en muestras de heces diarreicas y semiformadas y en contenido intestinal de cadáveres. Con estas muestras, el procedimiento SMART directo mostró una especificidad de 100%, mientras que con el PDK directo esta fue de 85,7% a 77,4%, en dependencia del tipo de muestra. Los resultados positivos falsos obtenidos mediante PDK directo resultaron negativos con PDK-6 y PDK-18. Entre los hisopados rectales y fecales de personas con y sin diarrea o que recibieron tratamiento previo con antibióticos se observaron tres resultados negativos falsos con SMART-6 y dos con PDK-6, los cuales resultaron positivos mediante SMART-18 y PDK-18, respectivamente. Ambos sistemas mostraron una concordancia excelente (índice kappa superior a 0,9) en las diferentes modalidades evaluadas. La sensibilidad analítica de ambos sistemas fue de 6 107 ufc/mL de V. cholerae O1, lo que concordó con la observación microscópica de 10 microorganismos o más con motilidad típica de vibriones por campo (aumento de 1000). Las muestras con menos de 10 microorganismos con motilidad típica de vibriones tenían concentraciones entre 6 103 y 6 106 ufc/mL y solo resultaron positivas después de un enriquecimiento de 6­18 horas. Se propone una estrategia para establecer la presencia de Vibrio cholerae O1 en un tiempo inferior al de los métodos convencionales, con valores predictivos positivo y negativo de 100%. Conclusiones. Los sistemas SMART y PDK permiten llegar a un diagnóstico certero de cólera en poco tiempo, no requieren de instrumental complejo ni de personal técnico altamente calificado y funcionan satisfactoriamente en condiciones de campo. Mediante la estrategia propuesta se pueden aumentar la especificidad y la sensibilidad de estos sistemas y se reducen los costos del diagnóstico, lo que permite recomendar su empleo para la vigilancia del cólera en áreas con escasos recursos, donde esta enfermedad constituye un grave problema de salud pública

Objectives. To compare the performance of two rapid systems for the diagnosis of cholera with the culture method, and to propose a strategy for improving the specificity and sensitivity of these systems and reducing the costs involved in making a diagnosis. Methods. The following institutions participated in the study: the National Bacteriology Referral Center (Centro Nacional de Referencia en Bacteriología, CNRB) of the Costa Rican Institute for Research and Teaching in Nutrition and Health (Instituto Costarricense de Investigación y Enseñanza en Nutrición y Salud, INCIENSA) and various hospitals in the provinces of Alajuela, Guanacaste and San José, in Costa Rica. A total of 237 feces samples were used to asses the performance of two tests for the rapid detection of Vibrio cholerae 01: the Pathogen Detection Kit© (PDK, Intelligent Monitoring Systems, Gainesville, Florida, USA) and Cholera-SMART© (New Horizons Diagnostics Corp., Columbia, Maryland, USA), both when applied directly (direct SMART and direct PDK) and when applied to specimens cultured in brothenriched medium for 6 hours (SMART-6 and CPK-6) and for 18 hours (SMART-18 and PDK-18) at 37 °C in alkaline peptone water. Liquid and partially formed stools were cultured and examined by means of the rapid direct test; when the initial result for periods of 6 and 18 hours. Rectal and fecal swabs were obtained from feces cultured in enriched-broth medium for 6 and 18 hours. In addition, we studied the sensitivity of the rapid testing systems by using pure cultures of V. cholerae 01 (strain SOS-833, CNRB, Costa Rica) that were incubated for 18 to 24 hours, and we assessed the usefulness of observing motility under the microscope in order to rationalize the use of rapid methods. Results. The sensitivity of the direct SMART test and of the direct PDK test was 100% when samples obtained from liquid and partially formed stools and from the intestinal contents of dead bodies were used. With these samples, the direct SMART procedure showed a specificity of 100%, whereas the direct PDK procedure showed a specificity that ranged from 85.7% to 77.4%, depending on the type of sample. False positives obtained with the direct PDK method turned out to be negative with PDK-6 and PDK-18. Among the rectal and fecal swabs of persons with and without diarrhea or who had received prior treatment with antibiotics, three results that were negative with the SMART-6 procedure and two that were negative with the PDK-6 procedure turned out to be positive with the SMART-18 and PDK-18 procedures, respectively. Both systems showed excellent concordance (kappa index above 0.9) throughout. Both systems were sensitive to 6 107 colony-forming units per milliliter (cfu/mL), which was concordant with the microscopic observation of 10 microorganisms or more per field with the type of motility that characterizes vibrios (at 1 000 magnification). Samples having fewer than 10 microorganisms with the motility that characterizes vibrios had concentrations between 6 103 and 6 106 cfu/mL and became positive only after incubation in enriched-broth medium for 6 to 18 hours. We propose a strategy for diagnosing the presence of V. cholerae 01 infection in less time than it takes with traditional methods, with positive and negative predictive values of 100%. Conclusions. The SMART and PDK systems make it possible to accurately diagnose cholera quickly, don't require sophisticated equipment or highly qualified technical personnel, and perform satisfactorily in field conditions. Through the proposed strategy, it becomes possible to improve the specificity and sensitivity of these systems and to reduce the cost of making a diagnosis, thus making them suitable for use in cholera surveillance in low-income settings where this disease is a serious public health problem

El papel del mycoplasma pneumonial en las exacerbaciones de asma bronquial y enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica del adulto / The role of mycoplasma pneumonial in bronchial asthma exacerbation and in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults

En el presente trabajo se evalua el papel de mycoplasma pneumoniae en reactivaciones de asma bronquial y enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva cronica. Para esto se determinaron los niveles de anticuerpos contra M. Pneumoniae en el zuero de las fases aguda y convaleciente de 28 individuos con reactivacion del cuadro respiratorio. Como controles se analizaron zueros de bancos de sangre del mismo periodo y de años previos al estudio. No se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los pacientes y los controles del mismo año; sin embargo, la seroposidad en los años previos al estudio fue significativamente inferior, lo que sugiere que en 1987 ocurrio un pico epidemico de infecciones por M. pneumoniae

Susceptibilidad a los antibióticos de los principales grupos de bacterias aisladas de pacientes con sepsis intraabdominal en dos hospitales generales de Costa Rica / Antibiotic susceptibility of the principal groups of bacteria isolated from patients with intra-abdominal sepsis in two Costa Rican general hospitals

Durante 1984 y 1985, se recolectó muestras de 68 pacientes con sepsis intra-abdominal, para estudiar la presencia de bacterias anaerobias, facultativas y determinar la sensibilidad a los antibióticos de los principales organismos encontrados. Bacteroides fragilis y Escherichia coli fueron las bacterias aisladas con mayor frecuencia. Todas las cepas de B. Fragilis analizadas, fueron sensibles a tinidazol, metronidazol y al cloranfenicol; sin embargo se encontro porcentajes de resistencia del 97,2 por ciento a la penicilina G, 8,3 por ciento a la clindamicina y 2,7 por ciento a la doxiciclina. Entre las cepas de E. coli estudiadas, los porcentajes de resistencia fueron de 55,9 por ciento al trimetoprin-sulfametoxazol. Los resultados obtenidos hacen ver la importancia de mantener un programa de vigilancia de la sensibilidad a los agentes bacterianos, tanto para las bacterias facultativas como anaerobias