Prevalence and Estimation of the Evolution of Myopia in Spanish Children.

Background: In recent decades, myopia has turned into a public health issue across the world. Between 1993 and 2016, the percentage of myopes increased from 10.4% to 34.2%. This study aims to analyze the myopia prevalence in Spanish children from five to seven years old over the last five years and to predict the rate of myopia in Spain by 2030. Methods: The sample consisted of children aged between 5 and 7, who underwent an optometric examination consisting of the measurement of visual acuity (VA) and determination of objective and subjective refraction. The cut-off points to define refractive error are established by the spherical equivalent (SE) value: hyperopia for an SE over or equal to +0.50 D; myopia for an SE under or equal to -0.50 D; and emmetropia when the SE is between -0.50 D and +0.50 D. Results: The myopia rate in Spanish children aged between five and seven was 19%. Myopia prevalence progressively increased as children grew up (p ≤ 0.001). It is estimated that, in the year 2030, the rate of myopia will be 30.2% [CI: 25.3-35.0], of which 81.9% [CI: 78.3-85.3] will have low myopia, 10.0% [CI: 7.2-12.8] moderate myopia, and 7.3% [CI: 4.9-9.7] high myopia. Conclusions: Nineteen percent of Spanish children between five and seven are myopes. In 2030, is expected that 30.2% of Spanish children between 5 and 7 years of age will be myopes. These estimations will support eye care professionals in recommending that children spend more time outdoors to prevent the onset of myopia and the use of methods to control myopia to avoid reaching these figures of high myopia.

Subjective behavioral measures in myopic and pre-myopic children before and after the COVID lockdown.

Background: There are environmental factors that may contribute to the onset of myopia. This study aims to evaluate the children's lifestyle changes before and after the COVID-19 lockdown and how they can influence their vision. Methods: The same questionnaire was administered to children aged between 5 and 7 in Spain every year in September before (2017-2019) and after the COVID-19 lockdown (2020-2021). All the children also passed a vision exam consisting of the measurement of visual acuity (VA) and determination of objective and subjective refraction. Children were classified as myopes, pre-myopes, or hyperopes. The cut-off points to define the refractive error were established according to the value of the spherical equivalent (SE): hyperopia (SE > +0,75D), myopia (SE ≤ -0,5D), or pre-myopia (-0.5D < SE ≥ +0.75D). Data analysis is performed with the SPSS 27.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois). Results: In the pre-COVID period, the pre-myopes were the ones who spent the longest time outdoors, and after the COVID lockdown, there were no differences between groups. There neither were any differences in the time spent doing near-work activities between the groups in both periods (p > 0.05). Regarding the spherical equivalent, in the pre-COVID period, the mean value was 0.75 ± 2.09D and after the COVID lockdown, it was 0.47 ± 1.88D (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Pre-myopes spent more time outdoors than myopes in the pre-COVID period, while myopes spent more time using digital devices. All these differences do not exist after the COVID lockdown, with a general increase in the time spent outdoors and a decrease in the use of digital devices. Further studies are needed to know if these lifestyle changes remain and how they influence the onset of myopia.

Estrés, ansiedad, y dietas alcalinas o ácidas en estudiantes universitarios durante la pandemia por el COVID-19 / Stress, anxiety and alkaline or acidic diets in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic / Stress, ansiedade e dietas alcalinas ou ácidas em estudantes universitários durante o durante a pandemia da COVID-19

La correcta alimentación constituye la primera línea de defensa del cuerpo humano ante diversos patógenos. La ingesta de determinados tipos de alimentos puede influir en el riesgo de padecer distintas enfermedades. En tiempos de la COVID-19 es importante analizar la relación entre el tipo de dieta (alcalina o ácida) y la salud. La literatura revisada informa sobre diversas formas de la relación entre este atributo de la dieta y el bienestar general

Proper nutrition is the human body's first line of defense against various pathogens. against various pathogens. The intake of certain types of food can influence the can influence the risk of various diseases. In times of COVID-19, it is important to analyze the relationship between the type of diet (alkaline or acidic) and the between the type of diet (alkaline or acidic) and health. The literature reviewed reports on various forms of the relationship between this attribute of diet and general wellbeing

A nutrição adequada é a primeira linha de defesa do organismo contra vários patógenos. a primeira linha de defesa do corpo contra vários patógenos. A ingestão de certos tipos de alimentos pode influenciar a pode influenciar o risco de várias doenças. Em tempos de COVID-19 é importante analisar a relação entre o tipo de dieta (alcalina ou ácida). entre o tipo de dieta (alcalina ou ácida) e a saúde. A literatura revisou relatórios sobre várias formas de relação entre este atributo dietético e bem-estar geral

The Prevalence of Myopia in Children in Spain: An Updated Study in 2020.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there was a significant increase in myopia incidence worldwide. However, it is still not clear how it affects Spanish children. Since 2016, this research team analyzed myopia prevalence and risk in 9668 children aged between 5 and 7 years. It was shown that the prevalence rates increased from 16.8% in 2016 to 20.4% in 2019. The objective of this study is to update the prevalence rate of myopia in Spain in 2020 and analyze the risk and prevention factors of myopia. METHODS: The participants underwent an optometric examination, and a questionnaire on their lifestyle, family history, and geographical origin was carried out. Finally, data were analyzed using the SPSS version 27 program. RESULTS: 1601 children from various Autonomous Communities of Spain were examined. In 2020 the myopia rates did not increase compared to 2019 (p < 0.05), although the number of hyperopes decreased and the number of emmetropes increased. Regarding age, the prevalence of myopia increased progressively over the years (p < 0.001). There was no association between gender and myopia (p > 0.05). There was a link between the time spent in near vision and family history with the prevalence of myopia (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of myopia in Spain in children between 5 and 7 years old increased significantly between 2016 and 2020.

[Anaphylaxis sugammadex-induced in a pediatric patient]. / Anafilaxia por sugammadex en paciente pediátrico.

INTRODUCTION: Sugammadex is a cyclodextrin that reverses neuromuscular blockade, especially of rocuronium. The occurrence of anaphylaxis produced by its use is of 1:1000 and 1:20000; it is observed mainly in subjects of Asian origin. CASE REPORT: A 9-year-old boy of Asian origin who, after the administration of sugammadex, immediately manifested an episode of anaphylaxis, which was reverted by using adrenaline and antihistamines. The serum tryptase at two hours was 27.7 µg/L; at 6 weeks, it was 3 µ/L. The sugammadex 100 mg/mL skin test was positive. The basophil activation test was positive with sugammadex 20 mg/mL. CONCLUSION: The temporal relationship between the administration of the drug, the clinical manifestations, the elevation of tryptase, and the diagnostic tests performed, disclosed the episode of anaphylaxis associated with hypersensitivity to sugammadex.

Introducción: Sugammadex es una ciclodextrina que revierte el bloqueo neuromuscular, especialmente de rocuronio. La incidencia de anafilaxia producida por su uso es de 1:1.000 y 1:20.000, se observa principalmente en sujetos de origen asiático. Reporte de caso: Niño de 9 años, de raza asiática que tras la administración de sugammadex, inmediatamente manifestó un episodio de anafilaxia, la cual revirtió con el uso de adrenalina y antihistamínicos. La triptasa sérica a las 2 h fue de 27.7 µg/L; a las 6 semanas fue 3 µg/L. La prueba cutánea a sugammadex 100 mg/mL fue positiva. La prueba de activación de basófilos fue positiva con 20 mg/mL sugammadex. Conclusión: La relación temporal de la administración del medicamento, las manifestaciones clínicas, la elevación de la triptasa y las pruebas diagnósticas realizadas, identificaron el episodio de anafilaxia asociado con hipersensibilidad por sugammadex.

The Role of the Sense of Belonging During the Alarm Situation and Return to the New Normality of the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) in Spain.

In this study we intend to understand the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the subsequent stay-at-home orders, on the Spanish population's sense of belonging at three moments in time: at the beginning of the lockdown, after one month of lockdown and with the return to the "new normality". A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey (N0 = 3480; N1 = 1041; N2 = 569). The sense of belonging was evaluated by means of four Likert-type items. These questions included membership in different groups: work/studies, friends, family and neighborhood or community. Sociodemographic and COVID-19-related data were collected. Additionally, mental health, spiritual well-being, loneliness, social support and discrimination were assessed. Descriptive analyses were carried out and linear regression models compiled. The sense of belonging increased significantly during confinement, dropping dramatically with the start of the return to the "new normality" process. The only variable that showed interaction with time and sense of belonging was discrimination. Work condition (not working providing the lowest sense of belonging scores), social support from friends and loneliness were the main predictors of the sense of belonging. The impact caused by the pandemic and the actions adopted during the first weeks regarding the sense of belonging is evident. It has been a key variable in dealing with COVID-19. Actions are now needed to increase our sense of belonging to face the post-epidemic crisis and avoid a greater impact in other areas.

[Bladder catheterization in the hospitalized elderly people]. / Empleo del sondaje vesical en el anciano hospitalizado.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of patients with bladder catheterization in a geriatrics service and to analyze the factors associated with the use of urinary catheterization in hospitalized elderly people. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This descriptive and retrospective study (January to December 2019) included all the patients admitted to a geriatric service, with bladder catheterization during their hospital admission. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected. RESULTS: In 2019, 10.20% of the patients admitted required urinary catheters. Most of these patients were males (60.6%), with an average age of 86.5 years (SD: 8.65). 43.4% of the urinary catheters that were placed temporarily were indicated in the geriatric unit, 28.9% in another medical service and 26.3% in the emergency department. The median of days with a urinary catheter was 7.5 days. The most common reason to indicate a urinary catheter was acute urinary retention (AUR) (67.7%). At hospital discharge, 22.3% of the patients needed to continue with a urinary catheter at home, without needing it prior to admission. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, a high percentage of bladder catheterization was needed during the hospitalization, the most common cause being AUR. The average use (in days) of urinary catheters is high, with the consequent risk of nosocomial urinary tract infections. It is necessary to improve the prescribing habits of urinary catheterization and its early withdrawal through specific educational efforts and avoiding their inappropriate use.

Microencapsulated Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 therapy improves cardiac function and reduces fibrosis in a porcine acute myocardial infarction model.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has demonstrated beneficial effects after myocardial infarction (MI). Microencapsulation of IGF-1 could potentially improve results. We aimed to test the effect of an intracoronary (IC) infusion of microencapsulated IGF-1 in a swine acute MI model. For that purpose IC injection of a 10 ml solution of 5 × 106 IGF-1 loaded microspheres (MSPs) (n = 8, IGF-1 MSPs), 5 × 106 unloaded MSPs (n = 9; MSPs) or saline (n = 7; CON) was performed 48 hours post-MI. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), indexed ventricular volumes and infarct size (IS) were determined by cardiac magnetic resonance at pre-injection and 10 weeks. Animals were euthanized at 10 weeks, and myocardial fibrosis and vascular density were analysed. End-study LVEF was significantly greater in IGF-1 MSPs compared to MSPs and CON, while ventricular volumes exhibited no significant differences between groups. IS decreased over time in all groups. Collagen volume fraction on the infarct area was significantly reduced in IGF-1 MSPs compared to CON and MSPs. Vascular density analysis of infarct and border zones showed no significant differences between groups. In conclusion, the IC injection of 5 × 106 IGF-1 loaded MSPs in a porcine acute MI model successfully improves cardiac function and limits myocardial fibrosis, which could be clinically relevant.

Author Correction: The Intrapericardial Delivery of Extracellular Vesicles from Cardiosphere-Derived Cells Stimulates M2 Polarization during the Acute Phase of Porcine Myocardial Infarction.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. In the author group, the correct family name of Dr. Rebeca is "Blázquez" and the correct family name of Dr. Francisco Miguel is "Sánchez-Margallo."

Oestrogen amplifies pre-existing atopy-associated Th2 bias in an experimental asthma model.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and severity of asthma, particularly the most common (atopic) form of the disease, increase amongst females but not males after puberty, and asthma activity also changes throughout the menstrual cycle and during pregnancy. The contribution of female sex hormones to asthma pathogenesis is incompletely understood. OBJECTIVE: To obtain insight into the role of oestrogen (E2) in experimental atopic asthma, and guide future research on sex-related variations in atopic asthma susceptibility/intensity in humans. METHODS: We utilized an experimental model comprising rat strains expressing dichotomous Th2-high vs Th2-low immunophenotypes exemplified by eosinophilia, mirroring differences between human atopics/non-atopics. We compared the efficiency of Th2-associated immunoinflammatory mechanisms, which differed markedly between the two strains, and between sexes in the Th2-high strain, and determined the effects of E2 administration on these differences. RESULTS: Unique to the Th2-high strain, eosinophil: neutrophil ratios in the airways at baseline and following sensitization/aeroallergen challenge were logfold higher in females relative to males, and this was reflected by higher baseline blood eosinophil numbers in females. Pretreatment of Th2-high males with E2 abrogated this sex difference by selectively boosting Th2-associated genes in the airways and eosinophilia, but was without corresponding effect in the Th2-low strain. In contrast, parallel E2 effects on myeloid and lymphoid cell populations were relatively modest. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: E2 acts to amplify the eosinophilic component of pre-existing Th2-high immunophenotype, possibly acting at the level of the common eosinophil/neutrophil precursor in bone marrow to preferentially drive eosinophil differentiation. Constitutive granulocyte profiles in which the balance between eosinophils and neutrophils is skewed towards eosinophils have been identified in independent cohort studies as markers of asthma risk, and these findings suggest that more detailed studies on the role of E2 in this context, and in relation to asthma pathogenesis in post-pubertal females in particular, appear warranted.

The Intrapericardial Delivery of Extracellular Vesicles from Cardiosphere-Derived Cells Stimulates M2 Polarization during the Acute Phase of Porcine Myocardial Infarction.

Acute myocardial infarction triggers a strong inflammatory response in the affected cardiac tissue. New therapeutic tools based on stem cell therapy may modulate the unbalanced inflammation in the damaged cardiac tissue, contributing to the resolution of this pathological condition. The main goal of this study was to analyze the immunomodulatory effects of cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) and their extracellular vesicles (EV-CDCs), delivered by intrapericardial administration in a clinically relevant animal model, during the initial pro-inflammatory phase of an induced myocardial infarction. This effect was assessed in peripheral blood and pericardial fluid leukocytes from infarcted animals. Additionally, cardiac functional parameters, troponin I, hematological and biochemical components were also analyzed to characterize myocardial infarction-induced changes, as well as the safety aspects of these procedures. Our preclinical study demonstrated a successful myocardial infarction induction in all animals, without any reported adverse effect related to the intrapericardial administration of CDCs or EV-CDCs. Significant changes were observed in biochemical and immunological parameters after myocardial infarction. The analysis of peripheral blood leukocytes revealed an increase of M2 monocytes in the EV-CDCs group, while no differences were reported in other lymphocyte subsets. Moreover, arginase-1 (M2-differentiation marker) was significantly increased in pericardial fluids 24 h after EV-CDCs administration. In summary, we demonstrate that, in our experimental conditions, intrapericardially administered EV-CDCs have an immunomodulatory effect on monocyte polarization, showing a beneficial effect for counteracting an unbalanced inflammatory reaction in the acute phase of myocardial infarction. These M2 monocytes have been defined as "pro-regenerative cells" with a pro-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory activity.

Acquired resistance during adoptive cell therapy by transcriptional silencing of immunogenic antigens.

Immunotherapies such as adoptive cell therapy (ACT) are promising treatments for solid cancers. However, relapsing disease remains a problem and the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance are poorly defined. We postulated that the deregulated epigenetic landscape in cancer cells could underpin the acquisition of resistance to immunotherapy. To address this question, two preclinical models of ACT were employed to study transcriptional and epigenetic regulatory processes within ACT-treated cancer cells. In these models ACT consistently causes robust tumor regression, but resistance develops and tumors relapse. We identified down-regulated expression of immunogenic antigens at the mRNA level correlated with escape from immune control. To determine whether this down-regulation was under epigenetic control, we treated escaped tumor cells with DNA demethylating agents, azacytidine (AZA) and decitabine (DEC). AZA or DEC treatment restored antigen expression in a proportion of the tumor population. To explore the importance of other epigenetic modifications we isolated tumor cells refractory to DNA demethylation and screened clones against a panel of 19 different epigenetic modifying agents (EMAs). The library of EMAs included inhibitors of a range of chromosomal and transcription regulatory protein complexes, however, when tested as single agents none restored further antigen expression. These findings suggest that tumor cells employ multiple epigenetic and genetic mechanisms to evade immune control, and a combinatorial approach employing several EMAs targeting transcription and genome stability may be required to overcome tumor resistance to immunotherapy.

Identification of very early inflammatory markers in a porcine myocardial infarction model.

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most deleterious conditions leading to cardiovascular diseases and mortality. The importance of an early and accurate diagnosis assures immediate medical treatments, which are fundamental to reduce mortality and improve prognoses. AMI is associated to an inflammatory response which includes the increase of circulating inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and immune cell activation. This study aimed to identify which are the very early immune-related biomarkers that may be used as predictors of myocardial infarction severity. In order to mimic the pathophysiological events involved in human myocardial infarction, a temporary occlusion (90 min) of the mid-left anterior descending coronary artery was performed in a swine animal model. RESULTS: Lymphocyte subsets analysis in peripheral blood revealed significant alterations in CD4+/CD8+ ratio and naïve and effector/memory T cell percentages at 1 h post-myocardial infarction. Changes in TH1/TH2-related cytokine, monocyte and neutrophil markers gene expression were observed in peripheral blood lymphocytes, as well. Additionally, significant correlations between cardiac parameters (cardiac enzymes, left ventricular ejection fraction and % infarct) and blood-derived parameters (cytokine expression and lymphocyte subset distribution) were found. CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral blood lymphocyte alterations are easily and swiftly detectable, so they may be good biomarkers for a very early prognosis and to predict myocardial infarction severity.

Aproximación terapéutica al síndrome de anorexiacaquexia en pacientes con cáncer. Revisión sistemática de la literatura / Therapeutic aproach to the anorexia-cachexia syndrome in cancer patients. Systematic literature review

OBJETIVO: Realizar una revisión sistemática de la literatura sobre las aproximaciones terapéuticas al síndrome anorexia-caquexia en pacientes oncológicos avanzados. MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: Se realizó una búsqueda de artículos científicos consultando las bases de datos: PubMed, Cochrane, Elsevier, Wiley y Google Scholar, con restricción de fecha 01/01/1990-31/12/2015, en los idiomas inglés y español. Las palabras clave utilizadas fueron: "fatigue, anorexia, cachexia, cancer, treatment" y las mismas palabras traducidas al español. En la base de datos PubMed, las ecuaciones de búsqueda utilizadas fueron: "Tumoral cachexia AND treatment" y "Fatigue, anorexia, cachexia AND cancer". Se incluyeron todos los estudios que definieran el síndrome de caquexia tumoral e indicaran al menos una línea de tratamiento para el mismo. Se excluyeron aquellos en los que la caquexia era resultado de una enfermedad terminal diferente al cáncer y en los que el tratamiento había sido enfocado únicamente en la paliación del dolor oncológico. Para seleccionar los artículos se realizó una lectura del título y/o resúmenes de los mismos. En caso de duda, se procedió a la lectura completa del trabajo. Los parámetros analizados fueron: tipo de estudio, criterios de inclusión, tamaño de la muestra, tipo de cáncer, tipos de tratamiento y eficacia de los mismos. RESULTADOS: en PubMed, con la estrategia de búsqueda "tumoral cachexia AND treatment" encontramos 16 artículos de los cuales un ensayo clínico cumplía los criterios de inclusión. En la misma base de datos, mediante la estrategia de búsqueda: "fatigue, anorexia, cachexia AND cancer" encontramos 106 artículos de los cuales incluimos ocho ensayos clínicos. Como artículo relacionado con la búsqueda anterior incluimos un ensayo clínico más. Además, realizamos una búsqueda de artículos a través de diversas plataformas, e incluimos en la revisión ocho revisiones narrativas y tres ensayos clínicos. CONCLUSIONES: 1) La diversidad de estudios revisados imposibilita la realización de un metanálisis. 2) Las medidas terapéuticas de la caquexia se basan en la modulación metabólica. 3) Sigue siendo controvertida que la utilización de suplementos nutricionales mejore el pronóstico del paciente con enfermedad avanzada. 4) La literatura propone diversos tratamientos para el síndrome de caquexia tumoral, siendo en la actualidad el acetato de megestrol el tratamiento de elección. 5) Existen fármacos en desarrollo, como los miméticos de la ghrelina, que ofrecen resultados prometedores

OBJECTIVE: To review what has been published in the scientific literature about the treatment options of the anorexia- cachexia syndrome in cancer patients. METHOD: We performed a systematic review of the literature. Databases used were: PubMed, Cochrane, Elsevier, Wiley y Google Scholar, with date restriction 01/01/1990-31/12/2015. Languages were English and Spanish, Key words used were: "fatigue, anorexia, cachexia, cancer in English and Spanish. In PubMed, search strategy were: "Tumoral cachexia AND treatment" and "Fatigue, anorexia, cachexia AND cancer". Articles included had to offer information about any treatment option to the cachexia syndrome. Articles including patients suffering from other illness than cancer were excluded. Papers selection was done base on title and abstract information. In some cases the inclusion was done after reading all the content. Information selected was: type of study, inclusion criteria, simple size, type of cancer, type of treatment and results. RESULTS: In PubMed, based on the search strategy: "tumoral cachexia AND treatment" we found 16 papers but only one was included. Based on the search strategy "fatigue, anorexia, cachexia AND cancer" we found 106 papers but only 8 clinical trials were included. Other related articles were included: 4 clinical trials and 8 narrative reviews. CONCLUSION: 1) The methodological differences among the papers reviewed make impossible to develop a methaanalisis. 2) Most of the treatment lines are based on metabolic modulation. 3) It is controversial the use of nutritional supplements to improve prognosis in advanced cancer patient. 4) Among cancer cachexia treatments suggested the megestrol acetate is the election option. 5) New drugs as ghrelin have shown optimistic results