Prevalence and characteristics of breakthrough cancer pain in an outpatient clinic in a Catalan teaching hospital: incorporation of the Edmonton Classification System for Cancer pain into the diagnostic algorithm.

BACKGROUND: Breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) is defined according to its principal characteristics: high intensity, short time interval between onset and peak intensity, short duration, potential recurrence over 24 h and non-responsiveness to standard analgesic regimes. The Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain (ECS-CP) is a classification tool that evaluates different dimensions of pain. The aim of this study was to measure prevalence and the main characteristics of BTcP in a sample of advanced cancer patients and to explore the complexity observed when ECS-CP is incorporated into BTcP diagnostics algorithm. METHODS: Descriptive prevalence study (Retrospective chart review). Davies' algorithm was used to identify BTcP and ECS-CP was used to recognize appropriate dimensions of pain. The study was conducted in a sample of advanced cancer patients attending hospital outpatient clinic in Lleida, Spain. 277 patients were included from 01/01/2014 to 31/12/2015. No direct contact was made with participants. The following information was extracted from the palliative care outpatient clinic database: age, gender, civil status, cognitive impairment status, functional performance status and variables related to tumour. Only BTcP cases were included. RESULTS: Prevalence of BTcP was 39.34% (63.9% men). Mean of age was 68.2 years. Main diagnosis was lung cancer (n = 154; 31.6%). Metastases were diagnosed in 83% of the sample. 138 patients (49.8%) were diagnosed with 1 type of BTcP and 139 (50.2%) were diagnosed with more than one type of BTcP. In total, 488 different types of BTcP were recorded (mean 1.75 ± 0, 9), 244 of these types (50%) presented a component of neuropathic pain. Addictive behaviour, measured through CAGE test, was present in 29.2% (N = 81) of the patients and psychological distress was present in 40.8% (n = 113). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of BTcP (39.34%) is similar to the one reflected in the existing literature. Study results indicate that the routine use of ECS-CP in a clinical setting allows us to detect more than one type of BTcP as well as additional complexity associated with pain (neuropathic, addictive behavior and psychological distress).

Effectiveness of technology-based interventions in detection, prevention, monitoring and treatment of patients at risk or diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment: protocol for a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The gradual changes over the decades in the longevity and ageing of European society as a whole can be directly related to the prolonged decline in the birth rate and increase in the life expectancy. According to the WHO, there is an increased risk of dementia or other cognitive disorders as the population ages, which have a major impact on public health. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is described as a greater than expected cognitive decline for an individual's age and level of education, but that does not significantly interfere with activities of daily living. Patients with MCI exhibit a higher risk of dementia compared with others in the same age group, but without a cognitive decline, have impaired walking and a 50% greater risk of falling.The urban lifestyle and advent of smartphones, mobility and immediate access to all information via the internet, including health information, has led to a totally disruptive change in most general aspects.This systematic review protocol is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of technology-based interventions in the detection, prevention, monitoring and treatment of patients at risk or diagnosed with MCI. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review protocol follows the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols reporting guidelines. The search will be performed on MEDLINE (PubMed), CENTRAL, CINAHL Plus, ISI Web of Science and Scopus databases from 2010 to 2020. Studies of interventions either randomised clinical trials or pre-post non-randomised quasi-experimental designs, published in English and Spanish will be included. Articles that provide relevant information on the use of technology and its effectiveness in interventions that assess improvements in early detection, prevention, follow-up and treatment of the patients at risk or diagnosed with MCI will be included. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics committee approval not required. The results will be disseminated in publications and congresses.

Study of community-living Alzheimer's patients' adherence to the Mediterranean diet and risks of malnutrition at different disease stages.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by deficits in episodic memory. It is the most common form of dementia and affects 50-70% of patients with cognitive impairments over the age of 65. Elderly people are particularly susceptible to malnutrition and that risk is even higher in patients with AD. This study assessed the nutritional status of patients with AD at different stages of AD and explored how that status correlated with cognitive, functional and behavioural variables and caregiver overburden. The characteristics of the diet and the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet were also analysed. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that was representative of the general population and it was carried out in the Unit of Cognitive Disorders, Lleida, Spain. The participants were 111 subjects with AD who were aged 65 and over and still living at home. The subjects' nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Controlling Nutritional Status system. The monthly food intake was estimated using the short Food Frequency Questionnaire and adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated using the Mediterranean Diet Score. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Global Deterioration Scale, Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) were also used. RESULTS: We found that 68% of the subjects presented with a risk of malnutrition and 19% were malnourished according to the MNA scale. Patients ate a higher quantity of meat and dairy products than recommended and fewer products from the remaining healthier food groups. Of the 111 subjects, 73% showed low adherence to the Mediterranean diet and 27% showed moderate adherence. There was a partial correlation between nutritional status and the MMSE when the data were adjusted for age and sex (r = 0, 318; p = 0.001) and inverse correlations were found for functional status (r =  - 0.283; p = 0.004) and the NPI (r =  - 0.409; p = 0.000) and ZBI scales (r =  - 0.433; p = 0.000) when they were adjusted using the same variables. The ZBI scale (OR 1.08, 95% CI [1.01-1.15]) showed an increase in the risk of malnutrition in the multivariate analysis. DISCUSSION: Alterations in nutritional status were more common during the advanced stages of AD and were also associated with behavioural changes and caregiver overburden. Low adherence to traditional healthy diets in Mediterranean countries and food intake profiles should be considered when managing patients with AD. Other countries can use the results to examine diets in people with AD that are high in meat and dairy and low in healthy food groups like fruit and vegetables.