Impact of Universal Use of the McGrath Videolaryngoscope as a Device for All Intubations in the Cardiac Operating Room. A Prospective Before-After VIDEOLAR-CAR Study.

OBJECTIVE: Tracheal intubation in cardiac surgery patients has a higher incidence of difficult laryngoscopic views compared with patients undergoing other types of surgery. The authors hypothesized that using the McGrath Mac videolaryngoscope as the first intubation option for cardiac surgery patients improves the percentage of patients with "easy intubation" compared with using a direct Macintosh laryngoscope. DESIGN: A prospective, observational, before-after study. SETTING: At a tertiary-care hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand one hundred nine patients undergoing cardiac surgery. INTERVENTION: Consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery were intubated using, as the first option, a Macintosh laryngoscope (preinterventional phase) or a McGrath Mac videolaryngoscope (interventional phase). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The main objective was to assess whether the use of the McGrath videolaryngoscope, as the first intubation option, improves the percentage of patients with "easy intubation," defined as successful intubation on the first attempt, modified Cormack-Lehane grades of I or IIa, and the absence of the need for adjuvant airway devices. A total of 1,109 patients were included, 801 in the noninterventional phase and 308 in the interventional phase. The incidence of "easy intubation" was 93% in the interventional phase versus 78% in the noninterventional phase (p < 0.001). First-success-rate intubation was higher in the interventional phase (304/308; 98.7%) compared with the noninterventional phase (754/801, 94.1%; p = 0.005). Intubation in the interventional phase showed decreases in the incidence of difficult laryngoscopy (12/308 [3.9%] v 157/801 [19.6%]; p < 0.001), as well as moderate or difficult intubation (5/308 [1.6%] v 57/801 [7.1%]; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of the McGrath videolaryngoscope as the first intubation option for tracheal intubation in cardiac surgery improves the percentage of patients with "easy" intubation," increasing glottic view and first-success-rate intubation and decreasing the incidence of moderate or difficult intubation.

Videolaryngoscope versus conventional technique for insertion of a transesophageal echocardiography probe in intubated ICU patients (VIDLARECO trial): A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Transesophageal echocardiogram probe insertion in intubated critically ill patients can be difficult, leading to complications, such as gastric bleeding or lesions in the oropharyngeal mucosa. We hypothesised that the use of a videolaryngoscope would facilitate the first attempt at insertion of the transesophageal echocardiogram probe and would decrease the incidence of complications compared to the conventional insertion technique. METHODS: In this clinical trial, patients were randomly assigned the insertion of a transesophageal echocardiogram probe using a videolaryngoscope or conventional technique. The primary outcome was the successful transesophageal echocardiogram probe insertion on the first attempt. The secondary outcomes included total success rate, number of insertion attempts, and incidence of pharyngeal complications. RESULTS: A total of 100 intubated critically ill patients were enrolled. The success rate of transesophageal echocardiogram probe insertion on the first attempt was higher in the videolaryngoscope group than in the conventional group (90% vs. 58%; absolute difference, 32%; 95% CI 16%-48%; p < 0.001). The overall success rate was higher in the videolaryngoscope group than in the conventional group (100% vs. 72%; absolute difference, 28%; 95% CI 16%-40%; p < 0.001). The incidence of pharyngeal mucosal injury was smaller in the videolaryngoscope group than in the conventional group (14% vs. 52%; absolute difference, 38%; 95% CI 21%-55%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that in intubated critically ill patients required transesophageal echocardiogram, the use of videolaryngoscope resulted in higher successful insertion on the first attempt with lower rate of complications when compared with the conventional insertion technique. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04980976.

Influence of Genetic Polymorphisms on the Short-Term Response to Ranibizumab in Patients With Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To determine whether genetic risk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) influence short-term response to intravitreal ranibizumab treatment. Methods: Forty-four treatment-naive AMD patients were included in a prospective observational study. They underwent three monthly injections of intravitreal ranibizumab for neovascular AMD. After an initial clinical examination (baseline measurement), a follow-up visit was performed to determine treatment response one month after the third injection (treatment evaluation). Patients were evaluated based on ophthalmoscopy, fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and OCT angiography. Peripheral venous blood was collected for DNA analysis at baseline visit. Patients were genotyped for single-nucleotide polymorphisms within AMD-relevant genes and classified on good or poor responders based on visual acuity, central retinal thickness, intraretinal fluid, and subretinal fluid. Results: One hundred ten AMD-associated SNPs have been analyzed. Six were found to be relevant when associated to ranibizumab treatment response. The genetic variants rs890293 (CYP2J2), rs11200638 (HTRA1), rs405509 (APOE), rs9513070 (FLT1), and rs8135665 (SLC16A8) predisposed patients to a good response, whereas rs3093077 (CRP) was associated with a poor response. FTL1, SLC16A8, and APOE were the SNPs that showed significance (P < 0.05) but did not pass Bonferroni correction. Conclusions: This is the first study that links novel polymorphisms in genes such as CRP, SCL16A8, or CYP2J2 to treatment response to ranibizumab therapy. On the other hand, HTRA1, FLT1, and APOE are linked to a good ranibizumab response. These SNPs may be good candidates for short-term treatment response biomarkers in AMD patients. However, further studies will be necessary to confirm our findings.

Neurological Instability in Ischemic Stroke: Relation with Outcome, Latency Time, and Molecular Markers.

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is commonly used to evaluate stroke neurological deficits and to predict the patient's outcome. Neurological instability (NI), defined as the variation of the NIHSS in the first 48 h, is a simple clinical metric that reflects dynamic changes in the area of the brain affected by the ischemia. We hypothesize that NI may represent areas of cerebral instability known as penumbra, which could expand or reduce brain injury and its associated neurological sequels. In this work, our aim was to analyze the association of NI with the functional outcome at 3 months and to study clinical biomarkers associated to NI as surrogate biomarkers of ischemic and inflammatory penumbrae in ischemic stroke (IS) patients. We included 663 IS patients in a retrospective observational study. Neutral NI was defined as a variation in the NI scale between - 5 and 5% (37.1%). Positive NI is attributed to patients with an improvement of > 5% NI after 48 h (48.9%), while negative NI is assigned to patients values lower than - 5% (14.0%). Poor outcome was assigned to patients with mRS ≥ 3 at 3 months. We observed an inverse association of poor outcome with positive NI (OR, 0.35; 95%CI, 0.18-0.67; p = 0.002) and a direct association with negative NI (OR, 6.30; 95%CI, 2.12-18.65; p = 0.001). Negative NI showed a higher association with poor outcome than most clinical markers. Regarding good functional outcome, positive NI was the marker with the higher association (19.31; CI 95%, 9.03-41.28; p < 0.0001) and with the highest percentage of identified patients with good functional outcome (17.6%). Patients with negative NI have higher glutamate levels compared with patients with neutral and positive NI (p < 0.0001). IL6 levels are significantly lower in patients with positive NI compared with neutral NI (p < 0.0001), while patients with negative NI showed the highest IL6 values (p < 0.0001). High glutamate levels were associated with negative NI at short latency times, decreasing at higher latency times. An opposite trend was observed for inflammation, and IL6 levels were similar in patients with positive and negative NI in the first 6 h and then higher in patients with negative NI. These results support NI as a prognosis factor in IS and the hypothesis of the existence of a delayed inflammatory penumbra, opening up the possibility of extending the therapeutic window for IS.

[Effectiveness of smoking cessation programs of roll-your-own tobacco smokers in Galicia.] / Efectividad de los programas de cesación tabáquica en fumadores de tabaco de liar en Galicia.

OBJECTIVE: Currently in developed countries there is an increase in the consumption of roll your own tobacco, which is associated with a higher proportion of users of this form of tobacco who wish to make an attempt to quit. The objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of tobacco cessation interventions based on the type of tobacco consumed. METHODS: Longitudinal study of a cohort of 641 smokers recruited between 2015 and 2018 in a health area of Galicia included in smoking cessation programs, based on psychological counseling and pharmacological treatment. The characteristics and success of the intervention were evaluated in two groups: roll your own tobacco smokers (RYO) and manufactured tobacco smokers (MT). A logistic regression was performed to determine the probability of success in smoking cessation. The risk measure was the odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: RYO users started at a younger age and had a lower sociocultural stratum than MT users. Interventions to quit smoking in RYO users were associated with less abstinence at 4 weeks (52% MT vs 38% LT) (OR: 0.5; 95% CI 0.35-0.99; p=0.045;) and at 3 months (42% TM vs 30% TL) (OR:0.6; 95% CI 0.33-0.98; p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking cessation programs are less effective in short-term RYO users. There are no differences in long-term abstinence between the two groups.

OBJETIVO: Actualmente en los países desarrollados existe un aumento del consumo de tabaco de liar lo que se asocia a una mayor proporción de usuarios de esta forma de tabaco que desean realizar un intento de abandono. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la efectividad de las intervenciones de cesación tabáquica en función del tipo de tabaco consumido. METODOS: Estudio longitudinal de una cohorte de 641 fumadores reclutados entre 2015 y 2018 en un área sanitaria de Galicia incluidos en programas de deshabituación tabáquica, basados en el asesoramiento psicológico y en el tratamiento farmacológico. Se evaluaron las características y el éxito de la intervención en dos grupos: fumadores de tabaco de liar (TL) y fumadores de tabaco manufacturado (TM). Se realizó una regresión logística para determinar la probabilidad de éxito en la cesación tabáquica. La medida de riesgo fue el odds ratio (OR) con su intervalo de confianza al 95%. RESULTADOS: Los consumidores de TL se iniciaron a una edad más temprana y tenían un estrato sociocultural más bajo que los consumidores de TM. Las intervenciones para abandonar el tabaco en los consumidores de TL se asociaron a una menor abstinencia a las 4 semanas (52%TM vs 38% TL) (OR: 0,5; 95%IC 0,35-0,99; p=0,045;) y a los 3 meses (42%TM vs 30%TL) (OR:0,6; 95%IC 0,33-0,98; p=0,04). CONCLUSIONES: Los programas de cesación tabáquica son menos efectivas en los consumidores de TL a corto plazo. No se observan diferencias en la abstinencia a largo plazo entre ambos grupos.

Intra- and extra-hospital improvement in ischemic stroke patients: influence of reperfusion therapy and molecular mechanisms.

Neuroprotective treatments in ischemic stroke are focused to reduce the pernicious effect of excitotoxicity, oxidative stress and inflammation. However, those cellular and molecular mechanisms may also have beneficial effects, especially during the late stages of the ischemic stroke. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the clinical improvement of ischemic stroke patients and the time-dependent excitotoxicity and inflammation. We included 4295 ischemic stroke patients in a retrospective study. The main outcomes were intra and extra-hospital improvement. High glutamate and IL-6 levels at 24 hours were associated with a worse intra-hospital improvement (OR:0.993, 95%CI: 0.990-0.996 and OR:0.990, 95%CI: 0.985-0.995). High glutamate and IL-6 levels at 24 hours were associated with better extra-hospital improvement (OR:1.13 95%CI, 1.07-1.12 and OR:1.14, 95%CI, 1.09-1.18). Effective reperfusion after recanalization showed the best clinical outcome. However, the long term recovery is less marked in patients with an effective reperfusion. The variations of glutamate and IL6 levels in the first 24 hours clearly showed a relationship between the molecular components of the ischemic cascade and the clinical outcome of patients. Our findings suggest that the rapid reperfusion after recanalization treatment blocks the molecular response to ischemia that is associated with restorative processes.

Periodontal awareness and what it actually means: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess periodontal awareness among laypersons, to characterize the very aware of periodontitis and to disclose whether high awareness implies sufficient periodontal knowledge. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study on laypersons randomly selected by quota sampling from March 2015 to June 2016. The questionnaire of periodontal awareness included aspects of aetiology, risk factors, signs and symptoms, related risks, prevention, treatment and related attitudes. It was applied by 12 interviewers in the community in each four province capitals, in a sort of pathfinder survey method. RESULTS: A 43.3% response rate was obtained, and 3,553 people entered the study. "Very aware": 19.4%. "Aware": 42.7%. "Not aware": 37.9%. Age, oral self-care and educational achievements characterized those "very aware." Any additional degree beyond compulsory education halves the chances for being "not periodontally aware." Very aware people likely to have periodontitis were elder, less educated, with a smoking history and less knowledge of the disease. Gaps of knowledge among the "very aware" were identified in all aspects except for "prevention" and "treatment.". CONCLUSIONS: Very periodontally aware people were in their late 40-60 s, followed sound oral care routines and held a degree but elicited insufficient knowledge about aetiology, signs-symptoms, related risks or periodontal risk factors.

Efecto del nivel socioeconómico sobre la mortalidad en áreas urbanas: revisión crítica y sistemática / Effect of socioeconomic status on mortality in urban areas: a systematic critical review / Efeito do status socioeconômico na mortalidade em áreas urbanas: análise crítica sistemática

Las desigualdades socioeconómicas son una causa de mortalidad y morbilidad superior a la mayoría de factores de riesgo, especialmente en el entorno urbano. Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática de la evidencia científica, en la que se incluyó artículos en inglés, castellano, portugués e italiano y se excluyeron estudios de baja evidencia, y en los que no se analizaba la relación entre mortalidad y nivel socioeconómico en un entorno urbano. La selección de artículos se llevó a cabo por dos revisores independientes y la extracción de datos se realizó con tablas de evidencia. Se obtuvieron 1.509 registros y se incluyeron 24. En todos los trabajos se observó mayor mortalidad en las áreas con peores indicadores de privación. Se observó asociación con patologías cardiovasculares en seis estudios, en cuatro con patologías pulmonares y en tres con SIDA, infecciones y parasitosis y cirrosis. Los estudios incluidos presentan resultados poco consistentes y limitaciones metodológicas importantes que impiden la comparación entre estudios y la extracción de conclusiones relevantes.

Socioeconomic inequalities cause more disease and death than most risk factors, especially in cities. This systematic review of the scientific evidence included articles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian and excluded studies with low levels of evidence and those that did not analyze associations between mortality and socioeconomic status in urban settings. Articles were selected by two independent reviewers, and data extraction used evidence tables. A total of 1,509 records were obtained, and 24 were included. All the studies showed higher mortality rates in poorer areas. Six studies showed an association with cardiovascular diseases, four with lung diseases, and three with AIDS, infectious and parasitic diseases, and cirrhosis. The selected studies showed low consistency in the results and important methodological limitations that prevented comparisons between studies or the extraction of relevant conclusions.

As desigualdades socioeconômicas são uma causa de mortalidade e morbidade superior à maioria dos fatores de risco, especialmente no ambiente urbano. Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da evidência científica, na qual foram incluídos artigos em inglês, espanhol, português e italiano, e da qual foram excluídos estudos de baixa evidência, onde não constava análise da relação entre mortalidade e nível socioeconômico no ambiente urbano. A seleção de artigos foi efetuada por dois revisores independentes e a extração de dados foi feita através de tabelas de evidência. Foram obtidos 1.509 registros e incluídos 24. Em todos os trabalhos, foi observada maior mortalidade nas áreas com os piores indicadores de privação. Observou-se uma associação com patologias cardiovasculares em seis estudos, com patologias pulmonares, em quatro deles, e com a AIDS, infecções, parasitoses e cirrose em três. Os estudos incluídos apresentam resultados pouco consistentes e importantes limitações metodológicas, impedindo a comparação entre estudos e a inferência de conclusões relevantes.