Effect of a multicomponent exercise program and cognitive stimulation (VIVIFRAIL-COGN) on falls in frail community older persons with high risk of falls: study protocol for a randomized multicenter control trial.

BACKGROUND: Falls represent important drivers of intrinsic capacity losses, functional limitations and reduced quality of life in the growing older adult's population, especially among those presenting with frailty. Despite exercise- and cognitive training-based interventions have shown effectiveness for reducing fall rates, evidence around their putative cumulative effects on falls and fall-related complications (such as fractures, reduced quality of life and functional limitations) in frail individuals remains scarce. The main aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness program combining an individualized exercise program and an executive function-based cognitive training (VIVIFRAIL-COGN) compared to usual care in the prevention of falls and fall-related outcomes over a 1-year follow-up. METHODS: This study is designed as a four-center randomized clinical trial with a 12-week intervention period and an additional 1-year follow-up. Three hundred twenty frail or pre-frail (≥ 1 criteria of the Frailty Phenotype) older adults (≥ 75 years) with high risk of falling (defined by fall history and gait performance) will be recruited in the Falls Units of the participating centers. They will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). The IG will participate in a home-based intervention combining the individualized Vivifrail multicomponent (aerobic, resistance, gait and balance and flexibility) exercise program and a personalized executive function-based cognitive training (VIVIFRAIL-COGN). The CG group will receive usual care delivered in the Falls Units, including the Otago Exercise Program. Primary outcome will be the incidence of falls (event rate/year) and will be ascertained by self-report during three visits (at baseline, and 6 and 12 weeks) and telephone-based contacts at 6, 9 and 12 months after randomization. Secondarily, effects on measures of physical and cognitive function, quality of life, nutritional, muscle quality and psychological status will be evaluated. DISCUSSION: This trial will provide new evidence about the effectiveness of an individualized multidomain intervention by studying the effect of additive effects of cognitive training and physical exercise to prevent falls in older frail persons with high risk of falling. Compared to usual care, the combined intervention is expected to show additive effects in the reduction of the incidence of falls and associated adverse outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04911179 02/06/2021.

Type II congenital cystic pulmonary malformation in an esophageal lung.

A seven-month-old girl, born prematurely (birth weight 1000 g) from a twin pregnancy, was admitted to hospital due to recurrent pneumonia and atelectasis. She experienced cough and respiratory distress during feeding. The right hemithorax was smaller than the left, with diminished breath sounds and dullness. Chest x-rays revealed decreased lung volume and multiple radiolucent images in the right lung, as well as overdistention of the left lung. An esophagogram revealed three bronchial branches arising from the lower one-third of the esophagus, corresponding to the right lung and ending in a cul-de-sac. A diagnosis of esophageal lung was established. On bronchography, the right lung was absent and the trachea only continued into the left main bronchus. Echocardiography and angiotomography revealed agenesis of the pulmonary artery right branch. The surgical finding was an esophageal right lung, which was removed; the histopathological diagnosis was type II congenital pulmonary airway malformation in an esophageal lung.

Neumonía complicada con empiema en niños, ¿operar o no operar? Factores de riego para cirugía y revisión de la literatura / Pneumonia complicated by empiema in children: To operaate or not to operated? risk factors for surgery and review of the literature

La indicación precisa de cirugía en el manejo del empiema pleural es aún motivo de controversia. Con el propósito de identificar los factores que se asocian a la indicación de cirugía mayor en pacientes pediátricos con neumonía complicada con empiema, se realizó un estudio retrospectivo de casos (18 niños con empiema sometidos a cirugía) y controles (12 niños con empiema resuelto sin cirugía), atendidos de 1992 a 1996. Las variables analizadas fueron las mencionadas en la literatura como factores que se asocian a la indicación de cirugía. Las que se encontraron significativas con una p < de 0.05 fueron: evolución preingreso mayor de 25 días, haber recibido más de tres esquemas de antibióticos, presencia de fiebre; empiema en fase organizada al ingreso; haber colocado dos o más sondas pleurales, duración del tubo de drenaje mayor de nueve días; empiema loculado, pulmón atrapado y engrosamiento pleural. Se concluye que un paciente pediátrico con historia de larga evolución, empiema postneumónico en fase organizada, multitratado, con colecciones purulentas pleurales de difícil acceso y complicaciones que impiden una adecuada expansión pulmonar requerirá muy probablemente cirugía mayor.