Clinical and cost outcomes of a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated patch versus drainage after axillary lymph node dissection in breast cancer: results from a multicentre randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes between breast cancer patients who underwent axillary lymph node dissection with postoperative management using a polyethylene glycol-coated patch versus axillary drainage. The direct costs associated with both postoperative management strategies were also evaluated. METHODS: This was a multicentre RCT in women with breast cancer who underwent axillary lymph node dissection (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04487561). Patients were randomly assigned (1 : 1) to receive either drainage or a polyethylene glycol-coated patch as postoperative management. The primary endpoints were the need for an emergency department visit for any event related to the surgery and the rate of seroma development. RESULTS: A total of 227 patients were included , 115 in the patch group (50.7 per cent) and 112 (29.4 per cent ) in the drainage group. The incidence of emergency department visits was significantly greater for patients with drainage versus a polyethylene glycol-coated patch (incidence rate difference 26.1 per cent, 95 per cent c.i. 14.5 to 37.7 per cent; P < 0.001). Conversely, the seroma rate was significantly higher in the polyethylene glycol-coated patch group (incidence rate difference 22.8 per cent, 95 per cent c.i. 6.7 to 38.9 per cent; P < 0.0055). Compared with drainage, using a polyethylene glycol-coated patch resulted in cost savings of €100.41 per patient. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio analysis found that drainage was associated with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €7594.4 for no need for hospital admission and €491.7 for no need for an emergency department visit. CONCLUSION: Compared with patients who received drainage after axillary lymph node dissection, the use of a polyethylene glycol-coated patch resulted in a higher rate of seroma, but a lower number of postoperative outpatient or emergency department visits and thus a reduction in overall costs.

Variable Intrinsic Expression of Immunoregulatory Biomarkers in Breast Cancer Cell Lines, Mammospheres, and Co-Cultures.

Advances in immunotherapy have increased interest in knowing the role of the immune system in breast cancer (BC) pathogenesis. Therefore, immune checkpoints (IC) and other pathways related to immune regulation, such as JAK2 and FoXO1, have emerged as potential targets for BC treatment. However, their intrinsic gene expression in vitro has not been extensively studied in this neoplasia. Thus, we evaluated the mRNA expression of tumor-cell-intrinsic CTLA-4, PDCD1 (PD1), CD274 (PD-L1), PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2), CD276 (B7-H3), JAK2, and FoXO1 in different BC cell lines, derived mammospheres, and co-cultures with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Our results showed that intrinsic CTLA-4, CD274 (PD-L1), and PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2) were highly expressed in triple-negative cell lines, while CD276 was predominantly overexpressed in luminal cell lines. In contrast, JAK2 and FoXO1 were under-expressed. Moreover, high levels of CTLA-4, PDCD1 (PD1), CD274 (PD-L1), PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2), and JAK2 were found after mammosphere formation. Finally, the interaction between BC cell lines and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulates the intrinsic expression of CTLA-4, PCDC1 (PD1), CD274 (PD-L1), and PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2). In conclusion, the intrinsic expression of immunoregulatory genes seems very dynamic, depending on BC phenotype, culture conditions, and tumor-immune cell interactions.

Biopsia del ganglio centinela y disección axilar dirigida en mujeres con cáncer de mama y axila positiva en el momento del diagnóstico: caminando hacia el futuro / Sentinel node biopsy and targeted axillary dissection in women with positive axilla breast cancer at diagnosis: walking into the future

Objetivo: conocer la tasa de concordancia del ganglio marcado con semilla Magseed® con el ganglio centinela marcado mediante tecnecio, en las pacientes con enfermedad ganglionar en el momento del diagnóstico que han recibido tratamiento neoadyuvante. Pacientes y métodos: estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de 44 mujeres diagnosticadas de carcinoma de mama estadios cT1-4/cN1/cM0, que recibieron quimioterapia neoadyuvante entre enero 2016 y diciembre 2020, y que tras una reevaluación radiológica se realizaron una cirugía mamaria con ganglio centinela en el Hospital General Universitario de Alicante. En las pacientes cN1 con respuesta radiológica axilar completa, la detección del ganglio centinela se llevó a cabo mediante doble técnica, extrayéndose por lo menos 3 ganglios. Además, se realizó una disección axilar dirigida mediante semilla magnética Magseed®, para su correcta localización y escisión. Resultados: la tasa de concordancia al realizar la disección axilar dirigida fue del 93,2%. La tasa de respuesta completa tras la quimioterapia neoadyuvante fue del 45,45%. Conclusiones: la disección axilar dirigida mejora la estadificación axilar tras la quimioterapia neoadyuvante, ya que reduce la tasa de falsos negativos respecto a la biopsia selectiva del ganglio centinela de manera aislada. (AU)

Objectives:To know the concordance rate of the ganglion marked with Magseed® with the sentinel node marked by technetium, in patients with limph node disease at diagnosis, that had received neoadjuvant treatment. Patients and methods: Retrospective descriptive study of 44 women, diagnosed with stage cT1-4 / cN1 / cM0 breast carcinoma, who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy between January 2016 and December 2020, and who after radiological re-evaluation, have undergone breast surgery with sentinel node at the General University Hospital of Alicante. In cN1 patients with a complete axillary radiological response, detection of the sentinel node is performed using a double technique, removing at least 3 nodes. In addition, axillary dissection directed by Magseed® magnetic seed is performed, for its correct location and excision. Results: The concordance rate when performing targeted axillary dissection was 93.2%. The complete response rate after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 45.45%. Conclusions: Targeted axillary dissection improves the axillary staging after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, since it improves the false negative rate with respect to sentinel lymph node biopsy in isolation. (AU)

ID1 and ID4 Are Biomarkers of Tumor Aggressiveness and Poor Outcome in Immunophenotypes of Breast Cancer.

Inhibitor of differentiation (ID) proteins are a family of transcription factors that contribute to maintaining proliferation during embryogenesis as they avoid cell differentiation. Afterward, their expression is mainly silenced, but their reactivation and contribution to tumor development have been suggested. In breast cancer (BC), the overexpression of ID1 has been previously described. However, whether the remaining ID genes have a specific role in this neoplasia is still unclear. We studied the mRNA expression of all ID genes by q RT-PCR in BC cell lines and 307 breast carcinomas, including all BC subtypes. Our results showed that ID genes are highly expressed in all cell lines tested. However, ID4 presented higher expression in BC cell lines compared to a healthy breast epithelium cell line. In accordance, ID1 and ID4 were predominantly overexpressed in Triple-Negative and HER2-enriched samples. Moreover, high levels of both genes were associated with larger tumor size, histological grade 3, necrosis and vascular invasion, and poorer patients' outcomes. In conclusion, ID1 and ID4 may act as biomarkers of tumor aggressiveness and worse prognosis in breast cancer, and they could be used as potential targets for new treatments discover.

Capacitaciones e investigación realizados por los recursos humanos en salud, Latinoamérica / Training and research carried out by human resources in health, Latin America

OBJETIVO: Se decidió analizar la asistencia a cursos, congresos, la producción de investigación y publicaciones como instrumento para calibrar la formación continuada del personal sanitario en diversos países de Latinoamérica. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio observacional descriptivo basado en una encuesta multicéntrica al personal de salud de ocho países latinoamericanos. Se les preguntó acerca de dos temas: la capacitación que habían realizado (asistencia a congresos nacionales, conferencias internacionales y cursos cortos) y la investigación que habían generado (trabajos originales y otras publicaciones, preguntando cuántos de ellos habían sido publicados). RESULTADOS: La mediana de asistencia a congresos nacionales fue de 3 en toda la vida (rango: 0-400) y 1 durante el último año (rango: 0-23). En los congresos internacionales fue 0 en toda la vida (rango: 0-40) y 0 durante el último año (rango: 0-15). En curso corto fue de 2 en la vida (rango: 0-500) y 0 durante el último año (rango: 0-80). En cuanto a los trabajos originales, la mediana de toda la vida fue 0 (rango: 0-40) y la mediana de estas publicaciones fue 0 (rango: 0-15). Finalmente, la mediana de otras investigaciones de por vida fue 0 (rango: 0-40) y de las publicaciones de estas fue 0 (rango: 0-18). CONCLUSIÓN: Se encontró que los entrenamientos recibidos son muy pocos en toda su vida y en el último año, la investigación es mínima y la publicación es mucho más pequeña. Este es un hallazgo esperado pero coherente con muchos informes, donde se ha demostrado que el autoaprendizaje y la investigación son deficientes

OBJECTIVE: It was decided to analyze the attendance to courses, congresses, the production of research and publications as an instrument to calibrate the continuing education of health personnel in divers Latin American countries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive observational study, based on a multicenter survey of health personnel from eight Latin American countries. They were asked about two subjects: the training they had done (attending national congresses, international conferences and short courses) and the research they had generated (original works and other publications, asking how many of them had been published). RESULTS: The median attendance at national congresses was 3 in the whole of life (range: 0-400) and 1 during the last year (range: 0-23). At international congresses it was 0 in all the life (range: 0-40) and 0 during the last year (range: 0-15). A short courses was 2 in a lifetime (range: 0-500) and 0 during the last year (range: 0-80). As for the original works, the median of all life was 0 (range: 0-40) and the median of these publications was 0 (range: 0-15). Finally, the median of other lifetime research was 0 (range: 0-40) and of the publications of these was 0 (range: 0-18). CONCLUSION: It was found that the trainings received are very few in all their life and in the last year, the investigation is minimal, and much smaller publication. This is an expected finding but consistent with many reports, where it has been shown that self-training and research are insignificant

Presence of human papillomavirus DNA in breast cancer: a Spanish case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is one of the most important neoplasia among women. It was recently suggested that biological agents could be the etiological cause, particularly Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The aim of this study was to explore the presence of HPV DNA in a case-control study. METHODS: We performed our study including 251 cases (breast cancer) and 186 controls (benign breast tumors), using three different molecular techniques with PCR (GP5/GP6, CLART® and DIRECT FLOW CHIP®). RESULTS: HPV DNA was evidenced in 51.8% of the cases and in 26.3% of the controls (p < 0.001). HPV-16 was the most prevalent serotype. The odds ratio (OR) of HPV within a multivariate model, taking into account age and breastfeeding, was 4.034. CONCLUSIONS: Our study, with methodological rigour and a sample size not previously found in the literature, demonstrate a significant presence of HPV DNA in breast cancer samples. A possible causal relationship, or mediation or not as a cofactor, remains to be established by future studies.

Obesidad como factor pronóstico reproductivo en ciclos de fecundación in vitro-inyección espermática intracitoplasmática / Obesity as a reproductive prognostic factor in in vitro fertilization-intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles

Objetivo. Comparar los resultados reproductivos en función del índice de masa corporal (IMC) en las pacientes sometidas a ciclos de FIV-ICSI. Sujeto y métodos. Ochocientos sesenta y tres ciclos de FIV-ICSI sometidos a estimulación ovárica controlada con protocolo de antagonistas de la GnRH. Resultados. Se encontraron diferencias en la edad media de las pacientes de los diferentes grupos, no clínicamente relevantes (± 1 año). No se encontraron diferencias significativas en la duración de la estimulación, ni en la dosis total de gonadotropinas utilizadas entre los diferentes grupos. Sin embargo, hubo menor número de folículos seleccionados, ovocitos recuperados, ovocitos maduros y de embriones disponibles para transferir al incrementarse el IMC, siendo las diferencias estadísticamente significativas. En cuanto a los resultados reproductivos; la tasa de embarazo clínico y nacido vivo se reduce progresivamente a medida que aumenta el IMC, siendo las diferencias estadísticamente significativas (grupo I: 41,4%, grupo II: 32,5%, grupo III: 29,6%; p < 0,05). Conclusiones. El sobrepeso y la obesidad empeoran los resultados reproductivos en ciclos de FIV-ICSI, reduciéndose de forma significativa la tasa de embarazo clínico y nacido vivo a medida que aumenta el IMC (AU)

Objective. To compare reproductive outcomes in our in vitro fertilization (IVF) program according to women's body mass index (BMI). Subjects and methods. We included a total of 863 IVF-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles with controlled ovarian stimulation with GnRH antagonists. Results. Patient age differed among the BMI groups but this difference was not clinically relevant (± 1 year). No significant differences were found among BMI groups in the duration of ovarian stimulation or in the total follicle-stimulating hormone dose used. However, there were significantly fewer selected follicles, retrieved oocytes, mature oocytes and transferred embryos at higher BMIs. Rates of pregnancy and live births were progressively and significantly reduced as BMI increased (group i: 41.4%, group i: 32.5%, group iii: 29.6%; P<.05). Conclusions. Female overweight and obesity impair IVF outcomes. Pregnancy and live birth rates were progressively reduced as BMI increased (AU)

Acute genital ulcers.

Acute genital ulcers, also known as acute vulvar ulcers, ulcus vulvae acutum or Lipschütz ulcers, refer to an ulceration of the vulva or lower vagina of non-venereal origin that usually presents in young women, predominantly virgins. Although its incidence is unknown, it seems a rare entity, with few cases reported in the literature. Their aetiology and pathogenesis are still unknown. The disease is characterised by an acute onset of flu-like symptoms with single or multiple painful ulcers on the vulva. Diagnosis is mainly clinical, after exclusion of other causes of vulvar ulcers. The treatment is mainly symptomatic, with spontaneous resolution in 2 weeks and without recurrences in most cases. We present a case report of a 13-year-old girl with two episodes of acute ulcers that fit the clinical criteria for Lipschütz ulcers.

Métodos anticonceptivos ¿Cuáles se utilizan realmente? / Anticonceptive methods What are actually used?

Objetivo: Obtener información acerca de los métodos anticonceptivos utilizados por nuestras usuarias en el momento de la consulta, grado de satisfacción, conocimiento e información recibida respecto al mismo, cumplimiento, embarazos no planificados y otros datos de interés ginecológicos y socio-demográficos. Población, Material y Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, longitudinal y prospectivo basado en los resultados obtenidos de un cuestionario realizado a una muestra de las pacientes (n=87), de entre 16 y 45 años, que acudieron al Servicio de Urgencias Ginecológicas del Hospital General Universitario de Alicante durante el periodo comprendido entre junio 2010 y noviembre de 2011. Resultados: El método anticonceptivo más utilizado por las usuarias encuestadas es el preservativo (88,5%) con un nivel de satisfacción de uso de 6,3, seguido por la píldora ( 75,9% ). El 20,6% (13% ella+ 7,6% familiares y amigos) de las mujeres eligió el método anticonceptivo sin consultar previamente con un profesional sanitario. La edad de inicio de las relaciones coitales fue de 16,9 años. Un 35.6% refería haber tenido al menos un embarazo no planificado y el 70,9% de las mismas refieren haber recurrido a una interrupción legal del embarazo (ILE). El 58,6% (n=51) de las usuarias refieren haber mantenido en alguna ocasión, relaciones sexuales de riesgo. Conclusiones: Consideramos que la educación es el arma principal de la que disponemos los profesionales sanitarios para alcanzar el objetivo que, en esta materia de salud sexual y reproductiva es, evitar embarazos no deseados y que las mujeres y sus parejas puedan disfrutar de una plena y satisfactoria sexualidad a través un adecuado acceso a la planificación familiar (AU)

The aim of this study is to obtain some information about the anticonceptive methods used by our patients in terms of: type, satisfaction, knowledge or information about it, grade of compliance, not desired pregnancy and other data with gynecologist, social or demographic interest. Material and Methods:We conducted a descriptive, prospective and longitudinal study. We ask our patients to complete a questionnaire. A total of 87 women, assisted in the emergency gynecology department at the “Hospital General de Alicante”, participated. Women were aged between 16 and 45 years old, from June 2010 and November 2011. Results: The most employed anticonceptive method among our patients is the preservative (88,5%), which satisfaction level was 6,3 , followed by the contraceptive pill (75,9%). 20,6% of women selected the anticonceptive method without consulting a health worker. Sexual relationships beginning. The mean age of coital debut was 16,9 years old. A 35,6% have had an unplanned pregnancy and a 70,9% a legal abortion. A 58,6% (n = 51) of patients declared a sexual risk behaviour at least once. Conclusion: Education is the most powerful weapon of health workers to achieve the most important objective in sexual matter, to avoid unplanned pregnancies. Women and their partners must enjoy a satisfactory sex life through an adequate upon family planning (AU)

Wernicke's encephalopathy induced by hyperemesis gravidarum.

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a reversible neurological emergency caused by thiamine deficiency. Prolonged vomiting in pregnancy results in thiamine depletion. The early recognition of its clinical signs and symptoms is essential to establish the suspected diagnosis and can be confirmed by MRI. Prompt administration of thiamine is important for preventing the occurrence of sequelae in the mother and for improving the fetal prognostic. We report a case of WE induced by hyperemesis gravidarum with a good maternal and fetal outcome.