Influence of Intravitreal Therapy on Choroidal Thickness in Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the variation in subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and its relationship with the variation in central macular thickness (CME) in response to intravitreal therapy with an antiangiogenic (anti-VEGF) drug or corticosteroid in type 2 diabetic patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 70 eyes of 35 patients: 26 eyes received 4-5 intravitreal injections of aflibercept, 26 eyes were treated with a single intravitreal implant injection of dexamethasone, and 18 eyes without DME did not receive intravitreal therapy. SPECTRALIS® optical coherence tomography (OCT) (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) was used to measure the SFCT and CME before and at the end of the follow-up period. RESULTS: The mean reductions in CME were 18.8 +/- 14.7% (aflibercept) and 29.7 +/- 16.9% (dexamethasone). The mean reductions in SFCT were 13.8 +/- 13.1% (aflibercept) and 19.5 +/- 9.6% (dexamethasone). The lowering effects of both parameters were significantly greater in the group treated with the dexamethasone implant (p = 0.022 and p = 0.046 for CMT and SFCT, respectively). Both therapies significantly decreased both CME and SFCT, independent of factors such as age, sex, previous intravitreal therapy, antidiabetic treatment, and the time of diabetes progression. There were no changes in the mean values of CME and SFCT in the untreated eyes. CONCLUSIONS: SFCT significantly decreased in response to intravitreal therapy with anti-VEGF or corticosteroids, irrespective of age, sex, previous intravitreal therapy, antidiabetic treatment, and the time of diabetes progression. There was a correlation between the changes in CME and SFCT after intravitreal therapy with aflibercept or dexamethasone implantation. SFCT was not a good predictor of the CME response but could be used to monitor the response to treatment. Local intravitreal therapy only affected the treated eye.

Clinical Features and Outcomes Associated with Bronchial Asthma Among COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients.

Background: The impact of diagnosis treatment and bronchial asthma on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated outcomes remains unclear. Objective: To identify the prevalence and outcomes associated with asthma among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Methods: Electronic health records of 130 patients with asthma among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were reviewed. Two subgroups of asthmatic patients were compared according to clinical outcomes during hospitalization. Patients with death results, intubation, and/or need of intensive care unit (ICU) stay were grouped as asthmatic patients with severe COVID-19 outcomes, and the rest were grouped as asthmatic patients with non-severe COVID-19 outcomes. Multivariable analyses were conducted with logistic regression to identify independent risk factors for severe outcomes. Results: The prevalence of asthma in COVID-19 hospitalized patients was 5%. The mean age was 59.4 years and 54% were women. 17% received treatment in GINA step 4-5 asthma at the time of admission. An allergic asthma phenotype was determined in 38%. There was no significant difference in hospital length of stay or need for intubation between asthmatic patients and global COVID-19 admitted patients. 17% of asthmatic patients developed a severe outcome, and 5% had a death result. Elevated Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) level, low transcutaneous pulse oximetry (SpO2), the coexistence of atrial fibrillation (AF), and need for moderate or high ICS at admission were independent risk factors for a worse outcome in asthmatics COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of asthma in COVID-19 hospitalized patients was 5%, consistent with the asthma prevalence in the general population. The asthmatic patients with the previous prescription of moderate or high doses of ICS and/or coexistence of atrial fibrillation at admission had a higher risk of the severe outcome.

Incidence, risk factors, and thrombotic load of pulmonary embolism in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence, characteristics, and risk factors of pulmonary embolism (PE) among patients hospitalized for COVID-19. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a prospective observational study of a randomly selected cohort of consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection between March 8, 2020 through April 25, 2020. All eligible patients underwent a computed tomography pulmonary angiography independently of their PE clinical suspicion and were pre-screened for a baseline elevated D-dimer level. RESULTS: 119 patients were randomly selected from the 372 admitted to one tertiary hospital in Valencia (Spain) for COVID-19 infection during the period of study. Seventy-three patients fulfilled both the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria and were finally included in the study. Despite a high level of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis (89%), the incidence of PE was 35.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29.6 to 41.6%), mostly with a peripheral location and low thrombotic load (Qanadli score 18.5%). Multivariate analysis showed that heart rate (Hazard Ratio [HR], 1.04), room-air oxygen saturation (spO2) (HR, 0.87), D-dimer (HR, 1.02), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (HR, 1.01) at the time of admission were independent predictors of incident PE during hospitalization. A risk score was constructed with these four variables showing a high predictive value of incident PE (AUC-ROC: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.80 to 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirmed a high incidence of PE in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Heart rate, spO2, D-dimer, and CRP levels at admission were associated with higher rates of PE during hospitalization.

Development and Assessment of a Questionnaire to Study Protection, Promotion, and Support of Breastfeeding.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an instrument to measure variables that influence health care professionals' behavior with regard to the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding, especially one that related to the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), and to conduct a psychometric assessment. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Two public health departments in eastern Spain. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 201 maternity and primary care professionals. METHODS: The Questionnaire of Professional Breastfeeding Support of the Healthcare Quality Management Program of the Spanish Region of Murcia (QPBS-EMCA) was developed using the theory of reasoned action as a conceptual framework and the Global Criteria for evaluating implementation of the BFHI. It comprises 4 scales on beliefs, attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral intention. The development process included item assessment and selection based on expert judgment and statistical criteria. The QPBS-EMCA scales were assessed for reliability and validity, including internal consistency, principal components factor analysis, criterion-related validity, and comparison of contrasted groups. RESULTS: The Beliefs, Attitudes, and Subjective Norms Scales were multidimensional, whereas the Behavioral Intention Scale was unidimensional. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from .65 to .81. Total scores for the Beliefs, Attitudes, and Subjective Norms Scales predicted scores for the Behavioral Intention Scale. Scores for the different QPBS-EMCA scales were related to professionals' previous breastfeeding training, interest in new training, and appraisal of breastfeeding policy in the workplace. CONCLUSION: The psychometric characteristics of the QPBS-EMCA render it suitable for evaluation of professionals' beliefs, attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral intention in relation to breastfeeding and could be useful in health care facilities implementing quality improvement processes based on the BFHI.

5q- syndrome and multiple myeloma diagnosed simultaneously and successful treated with lenalidomide.

A 72-year-old woman was diagnosed with 5q- myelodysplastic syndrome in the course of an indolent multiple myeloma (MM). Bone marrow (BM) cytogenetics disclosed two unrelated clones: 46,XX,del(5)(q13q33), and [47,X,-X,der(1;21)(q10;q10),-4,-4,+5,del(5)(q13q31),+7,der(7)t(1;7)(p34.2;p22),add(8)(p23),-13,+15,der(16) t(1;16)(q23;q12.2),+19,-21,+mar1,+mar2]. The last complex karyotype belonged to malignant plasma cells. FISH and SKY techniques demonstrated different 5q deletions. EGR1 gene (on 5q31) lost in 5q- syndrome remained in 5q- plasma cells. Biclonal evolution was noted: myeloid 5q- cells added a deletion 13q and plasma cells showed monosomy 13. Patient achieved complete cytogenetic response of 5q- syndrome with low-dose of lenalidomide, and a partial remission of MM with high-dose of lenalidomide/dexamethasone combination.