Medicina de Familia, una especialidad amenazada / Family Medicine, a threatened specialty

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Cuidados paliativos multidisciplinares al final de la vida del paciente crítico / Multidisciplinary palliative care at the end of life of critically ill patient

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Principales demandas informativas de los familiares de pacientes ingresados en Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos / Main information requests of family members of patients in Intensive Care Units

OBJETIVO: Elaborar un catálogo de demandas informativas priorizadas por los familiares, conocer qué profesionales consideran estos que pueden responder a estas demandas y explorar las diferencias de criterio entre familiares y profesionales. DISEÑO: Análisis cualitativo de validación de contenido; estudio descriptivo transversal. Ámbito: Cuarenta y una UCI españolas. PARTICIPANTES: Familiares, médicos y enfermeras/os de pacientes críticos. Intervención: De un listado inicial de preguntas extraído de revisión de la literatura, médicos, enfermeras/os y familiares de pacientes críticos incorporaron cuestiones que consideraron no incluidas. Tras análisis de validación de contenido, se obtuvo un nuevo listado que fue valorado nuevamente por los participantes para determinar el nivel de importancia que asignaban a cada pregunta y qué profesional consideraban adecuado para responderla. RESULTADOS: Cuestiones más importantes para los familiares: preocupación por la situación clínica, medidas a tomar, pronóstico e información. Existió coincidencia entre familiares y profesionales en las cuestiones prioritarias para las familias. Existieron diferencias significativas en la importancia dada a cada pregunta: entre médicos y familiares (72/82 preguntas) y entre enfermeras/os y familiares (66/82 cuestiones) (p < 0,05). Para los familiares, el 63% de las preguntas podrían ser contestadas por médicos o enfermeras/os indistintamente, el 27% preferentemente por los médicos y 10% por las enfermeras/os. CONCLUSIONES: Las cuestiones más relevantes para las familias fueron pronóstico y gravedad, pero también la necesidad de información. Los profesionales sanitarios tendemos a subestimar la importancia de muchas de las cuestiones que preocupan a las familias. Los familiares consideran que la mayoría de sus inquietudes pueden ser resueltas indistintamente por médicos o enfermeras/os

OBJECTIVE: To compile an inventory of information requests prioritized by the family members, to find out which professionals them consider able to respond these requests, and to explore the differences in perception between family members and professionals. DESIGN: Qualitative analysis of content validation and descriptive cross-sectional study. Scope: 41 Spanish ICU. PARTICIPANTS: Relatives, physicians and nurses of critical patients. Intervention: From an initial list of questions extracted from literature review, physicians, nurses, and relatives of critical patients incorporated issues that they considered not included. After analyzing content validity, a new list was obtained, which was again submitted to the participants' assessment to evaluate the level of importance that they assigned to each question and which professional they considered appropriate to answer it. RESULTS: most important questions for the relatives: concern about the clinical situation, measures to be taken, prognosis and information. There was a coincidence between relatives and professionals in the priority issues for families. There were significant differences in the importance given to each question: between doctors and relatives (72/82 questions), and between nurses and relatives (66/82 questions) (P<.05). For the relatives, 63% of the questions could be answered by doctors or nurses, 27% preferably by doctors and 10% by nurses. CONCLUSIONS: The most relevant issues for families were prognosis and severity, but also the need for information. Healthcare professionals tend to underestimate the importance of many of the questions that concern families. Relatives feel that most of their concerns can be resolved either by doctors or nurses

GEINOFOTE: efficacy and safety of fotemustine in patients with high-grade recurrent gliomas and poor performance status

Purpose: The treatment of recurrent high-grade gliomas (HGG) is controversial. There are different therapeutic schedules but without a clear orientation about which of them should be used in each clinical situation. In addition, when patients suffer a second recurrence or they have poor performance status, they are excluded from clinical trials, although second recurrences and poor performance status are indeed more and more real and common situations in the clinical setting. In this study, we assessed the efficacy and safety of fotemustine (FTM) in HGG [fundamentally, glioblastomas (GB)], independent of time of recurrence or performance status. Methods/patients: Retrospective study in HGG patients treated with FTM in second or further line according to standard, the Addeo or any other scheme, starting treatment prior to 30 November 2012. Included patients reflect the regular situation in which the drug is used in terms of comorbidities and analytic situation (hematologic, renal and hepatic functions). Response assessment was performed by MRI and according to the clinical protocols of each center (every 8-12 weeks). Clinical situation and supportive care drugs were evaluated in each medical consultation. Clinical end-points analyzed, among others, were: PFS-6, PFS, OS, response rates, toxicity, quality of life and neurocognitive impact. Results: In terms of activity, an overall response rate of 8 % was observed: partial response 6 % (7 patients) and complete response 2 % (2 patients). The median time to achieve the greater response with FTM was 73 days (4-841 days). Patients treated according to the Addeo schedule had a shorter time to greater response in comparison with other schedules (85.9 vs 114 days), although without statistical significance. There were no significant differences in progression-free survival (PFS) when comparing different FTM schedules or using FTM in first or second recurrence. Median PFS: 3 months. PFS-6: 30.3 %. Overall survival (OS): although without significant differences, a tendency to better survival when using the Addeo schedule versus other schedules was observed (at 6 months, 44.6 vs 34.5 %; at 12 months, 25 vs 23.6 %; at 18 months, 11.5 vs 7.9 %), as well as if earlier use (second vs third line) concerning OS-12 (33.7 vs 18.2 %). Median OS: 5.2 months. Grades 3-4 toxicity was 28 % (31 patients), being neutropenia (4 %) and thrombocytopenia (17 %) the most frequent adverse reactions. From quality of life and neuro-cognitive function perspectives, 11 patients (10 %) and 16 (14 %) improved the Karnofsky Index and neurological impairment, respectively, after FTM treatment. Conclusion: This study has shown that FTM is safe and has a comparable activity with other available therapeutic options of use in the treatment of recurrent HGG (AU)

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Should we continue temozolomide beyond six cycles in the adjuvant treatment of glioblastoma without an evidence of clinical benefit? A cost analysis based on prescribing patterns in Spain

PURPOSE: The standard adjuvant treatment for glioblastoma is temozolomide concomitant with radiotherapy, followed by a further six cycles of temozolomide. However, due to the lack of empirical evidence and international consensus regarding the optimal duration of temozolomide treatment, it is often extended to 12 or more cycles, even in the absence of residual disease. No clinical trial has shown clear evidence of clinical benefit of this extended treatment. We have explored the economic impact of this practice in Spain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Spanish neuro-oncologists completed a questionnaire on the clinical management of glioblastomas in their centers. Based on their responses and on available clinical and demographic data, we estimated the number of patients who receive more than six cycles of temozolomide and calculated the cost of this extended treatment. RESULTS: Temozolomide treatment is continued for more than six cycles by 80.5 % of neuro-oncologists: 44.4 % only if there is residual disease; 27.8 % for 12 cycles even in the absence of residual disease; and 8.3 % until progression. Thus, 292 patients annually will continue treatment beyond six cycles in spite of a lack of clear evidence of clinical benefit. Temozolomide is covered by the National Health Insurance System, and the additional economic burden to society of this extended treatment is nearly 1.5 million euros a year. CONCLUSIONS: The optimal duration of adjuvant temozolomide treatment merits investigation in a clinical trial due to the economic consequences of prolonged treatment without evidence of greater patient benefit (AU)

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Dearomatization of Antioxidant Rosemary Extracts by Treatment with Supercritical Carbon Dioxide.

Treatment with supercritical CO(2) is proposed for deodorizing antioxidant rosemary extracts obtained by steam distillation and Soxhlet extraction. The process conditions have been optimized by applying a Taguchi experimental design with the aim of obtaining, at minimum cost, a product with acceptable antioxidant activity as well as minimum rosemary aroma. Variables were selected for their effects on the selective extraction of the compounds responsible for the residual aroma of the rosemary extract. The optimized method allowed 90% dearomatization; no detrimental effects in antioxidant activity or color of the extracts have been observed after supercritical fluid processing.