Quality of life for up to 18 months after low-energy hip, vertebral, and distal forearm fractures-results from the ICUROS.

This study used data from the International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic fractures Study (ICUROS) to estimate the quality of life (QoL) impact of fracture. Hip, vertebral, and distal forearm fractures incur substantial QoL losses. Hip and vertebral fracture results in markedly impaired QoL for at least 18 months. INTRODUCTION: The International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic fractures Study (ICUROS) is a multinational observational study that aims to describe costs and quality of life (QoL) consequences of osteoporotic fractures. To date, 11 countries have participated in the study: Australia, Austria, Estonia, France, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, Spain, the UK, and the USA. The objective of this paper is to describe the QoL impact of hip, vertebral, and distal forearm fracture. METHODS: Data were collected at four time-points for five QoL point estimates: within 2 weeks after fracture (including pre-fracture recall) and at 4, 12, and 18 months after fracture. Quality of life was measured as health state utility values (HSUVs) derived from the EQ-5D-3L. Complete case analysis was conducted as the base case with available case and multiple imputation performed as sensitivity analyses. Multivariate analysis was performed to explore predictors of QoL impact of fracture. RESULTS: Among 5456 patients enrolled using convenience sampling, 3021 patients were eligible for the base case analysis (1415 hip, 1047 distal forearm, and 559 vertebral fractures). The mean (SD) difference between HSUV before and after fracture for hip, vertebral, and distal forearm fracture was estimated at 0.89 (0.40), 0.67 (0.45), and 0.48 (0.34), respectively (p < 0.001 for all fracture types). Eighteen months after fracture, mean HSUVs were lower than before the fracture in patients with hip fracture (0.66 vs. 0.77 p < 0.001) and vertebral fracture (0.70 vs. 0.83 p < 0.001). Hospitalization and higher recalled pre-fracture QoL were associated with increased QoL impact for all fracture types. CONCLUSIONS: Hip, vertebral, and distal forearm fractures incur substantial loss in QoL and for patients with hip or vertebral fracture, QoL is markedly impaired for at least 18 months.

Acinetobacter baumannii infections in a tertiary care hospital in Mexico over the past 13 years.

BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii has evolved from an opportunistic pathogen into a common and persistent nosocomial bacterium capable of causing severe infections during endemic and epidemic periods. METHODS: The study period extended from January 1999 to December 2011 and involved patients hospitalized at the Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Fray Antonio Alcalde, Jalisco, Mexico. From each patient, a single isolate was obtained, and a total of 3,680 unique isolates were collected. Susceptibility tests were performed according to the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. RESULTS: A. baumannii has disseminated throughout the Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Fray Antonio Alcalde, since 1999. A. baumannii isolates obtained from patients treated in the adult intensive care unit represent the majority of the isolates that have been collected. In addition, A. baumannii was isolated from the adult neurosurgical ward and the adult internal medicine ward, and these isolates were frequently obtained from secretions. A persistent decrease in the susceptibility of A. baumannii isolates to meropenem (92% in 1999 to 12% in 2011), imipenem and amikacin has been observed. CONCLUSIONS: A. baumannii became an endemic nosocomial pathogen during the study period at the Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, Fray Antonio Alcalde, and has exhibited a persistent decrease in susceptibility to all categories of antimicrobial agents over the past 13 years.

The International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (ICUROS)--quality of life during the first 4 months after fracture.

UNLABELLED: The quality of life during the first 4 months after fracture was estimated in 2,808 fractured patients from 11 countries. Analysis showed that there were significant differences in the quality of life (QoL) loss between countries. Other factors such as QoL prior fracture and hospitalisation also had a significant impact on the QoL loss. INTRODUCTION: The International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (ICUROS) was initiated in 2007 with the objective of estimating costs and quality of life related to fractures in several countries worldwide. The ICUROS is ongoing and enrols patients in 11 countries (Australia, Austria, Estonia, France, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, Spain, UK and the USA). The objective of this paper is to outline the study design of ICUROS and present results regarding the QoL (measured using the EQ-5D) during the first 4 months after fracture based on the patients that have been thus far enrolled ICUROS. METHODS: ICUROS uses a prospective study design where data (costs and quality of life) are collected in four phases over 18 months after fracture. All countries use the same core case report forms. Quality of life was collected using the EQ-5D instrument and a time trade-off questionnaire. RESULTS: The total sample for the analysis was 2,808 patients (1,273 hip, 987 distal forearm and 548 vertebral fracture). For all fracture types and countries, the QoL was reduced significantly after fracture compared to pre-fracture QoL. A regression analysis showed that there were significant differences in the QoL loss between countries. Also, a higher level of QoL prior to the fracture significantly increased the QoL loss and patients who were hospitalised for their fracture also had a significantly higher loss compared to those who were not. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this study indicate that there appear to be important variations in the QoL decrements related to fracture between countries.

Pravastatin therapy increases procollagen I N-terminal propeptide (PINP), a marker of bone formation in post-menopausal women.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to evaluate whether pravastatin treatment affected biochemical markers of bone turnover. METHODS: Thirty-six hypercholesterolemic post-menopausal women, not on hormonal replacement therapy, were selected from a population study evaluating factors affecting cholesterol response to pravastatin. After a 6-week period on a 30% fat diet, participants received treatment with 20 mg/day of pravastatin during a 16-week follow-up period. Pre- and post-treatment samples were analyzed for procollagen I aminoterminal peptide (PINP) and bone alkaline phosphatase (bAP) as markers of bone formation, carboxyterminal telopeptide of collagen I (CTX) as a marker of bone resorption, and procollagen III aminoterminal propeptide (PIIINP) as a marker of fibrogenesis. RESULTS: Total cholesterol decreased from 7.26+/-0.83 to 6.1+/-0.77 mmol/l with pravastatin treatment. PINP levels significantly increased (from 33.6+/-13 to 37.4+/-16, p=0.03) without changes in bAP or CTX. Individual changes in PINP correlated with individual reduction in cholesterol levels (r=0.337, p=0.04). There was no significant change in PIIINP concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Pravastatin treatment increased PINP levels, a marker of bone formation, in hypercholesterolemic, post-menopausal women, without affecting bone resorption. PIIINP concentration, a marker of liver fibrogenesis, was not affected by the treatment.

Femoral bone mineral density, neck-shaft angle and mean femoral neck width as predictors of hip fracture in men and women. Multicenter Project for Research in Osteoporosis.

The effect of femoral bone mineral density (BMD) and several parameters of femoral neck geometry (hip axis length, neck-shaft angle and mean femoral neck width) on hip fracture risk in a Spanish population was assessed in a cross-sectional study. All parameters were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. There were 411 patients (116 men, 295 women; aged 60-90 years) with hip fractures in whom measurements were taken in the contralateral hip. Controls were 545 persons (235 men, 310 women; aged 60-90 years) who participated in a previous study on BMD in a healthy Spanish population. Femoral neck BMD was significantly lower, and neck-shaft angle and mean femoral neck width significantly higher, in fracture cases than in controls. The logistic regression analysis adjusted by age, height and weight showed that a decrease of 1 standard deviation (SD) in femoral neck BMD was associated with an odds ratio of hip fracture of 4.52 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.93 to 6.96] in men and 4.45 (95% CI 3.11 to 6.36) in women; an increase of 1 SD in neck-shaft angle of 2.45 (95% CI 1.73 to 3.45) in men and 3.48 (95% CI 2.61 to 4.65) in women; and an increase of 1 SD in mean femoral neck width of 2.15 (95% CI 1.55 to 2.98) in men and 2.40 (95% CI 1.79 to 3.22) in women. The use of a combination of femoral BMD and geometric parameters of the femoral neck except for hip axis length may improve hip fracture risk prediction allowing a better therapeutic strategy for hip fracture prevention.

Klebsiella pneumoniae 35 and 36 kDa porins are common antigens in different serotypes and induce opsonizing antibodies.

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major cause of neonatal sepsis and nosocomial infections in Mexico. Antibiotic therapy is the first choice for treatment but the increase in multiple resistance strains has forced scientists to look for alternative treatments, such as immunotherapy. In this work, we propose that porins could be a common antigen among four different capsular serotypes of Klebsiella pneumoniae for the production of immune sera with opsonizing capacity. METHODS: The 35 and 36 kDa porins from four different serotypes of the bacteria were isolated by the Nikaido method followed by purification in Sephacryl column chromatography. The 36 kDa of serotype K8 was further purified by electroelution. The 35 and 36 kDa porins were used to obtain rabbit polyclonal antibodies (PolyAb) to the four serotypes and the 36 kDa from K8 for the production of monoclonal antibodies (MoAb). Antigenic reactivity of PolyAb and MoAb were analyzed by ELISA and WB and their opsonizing capacity for human PMN was measured by chemiluminescence (CL) using capsulated and non-capsulated bacteria. RESULTS: Porins from the four strains showe electrophoretic homology and cross reaction by ELISA and WB. CL assays indicated that PolyAb opsonized heterologous strains and that MoAb perform this in the absence of capsule. CONCLUSIONS: K.pneumoniae 35 and 36 kDa porins are common antigens for the four serotypes studied and induce opsonizing antibodies.

Speed of sound, bone mineral density and bone strength in oophorectomized rats.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity of bone mineral density (BMD), ultrasounds (SOS) and resistance to torsion (T) to detect experimental osteopenia induced in rats 3 and 6 months after ooforectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-four rats were used, divided into four groups, ooforectomized rats analysed 3 and 6 months after the operation and their respective control groups, in which BMD (Hologic QDR 1000 S/N 277), SOS (DBM Sonic 1200) and T (adapted test machine) were determined in the right femur. RESULTS: The results of the three techniques distinguished the ooforectomized groups from the controls, both 3 and 6 months after the ooforectomy, obtaining more significant differences with BMD (P = 0.0006, P = 0. 001, respectively) than SOS and T, where a significance of only P = 0.05 was obtained. In the correlation study among the three techniques, a significant correlation was observed between BMD and SOS (r = 0.39, P = 0.0008), as well as between BMD and T (r = 0.31, P = 0.03). However, significance was not observed between the SOS and T tests. CONCLUSION: In the study of sensitivity and specificity of the techniques used to detect the osteopenia caused by the ooforectomy, by means of calculation of the area under the receiver operation characteristic (ROC) curve, it was proven that although the three techniques distinguished between the two analysed populations, BMD presented an area under the ROC curve that was superior (0.87, 0.85) to that obtained with SOS (0.73, 0.67) and T (0.73, 0.68), both 3 and 6 months after the operation.

Effects of LY-117018 HCl on bone remodeling and mineral density in the oophorectomized rat.

OBJECTIVE: LY-117018 HCl is a recently developed, selective estrogen receptor modulator and an analog of raloxifene. Its mode of action on the skeleton is similar to that of estrogens, although it does not have the same side effects. The aim of the current study was to compare the effects produced by the administration of 17alpha-ethinyl estradiol (0.1 mg/kg/day) and LY-117018 HCl (1 mg/kg/day) on bone remodeling, bone mineral density, and body and uterus weight in sham-operated and oophorectomized rats (experimental model of postmenopausal osteoporosis). STUDY DESIGN: Twelve-week-old female Wistar rats were used. Treatment was given for 3 months after oophorectomy or sham operation. Bone mineral density was determined in the lumbar spine (L2, L3, and L4) and in the left femur with use of a Hologic QDR 1000 (S/N 277) densitometer. Bone remodeling was estimated with use of the formation markers osteocalcin (bone gla protein) and alkaline phosphatase and the resorption markers type I collagen carboxyterminal telopeptide and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed derivative of raloxifene, LY-117018 HCl, offsets the reduction in bone mineral density and the accompanying increase in bone remodeling markers observed in oophorectomized rats compared with control animals. 17Alpha-ethinyl estradiol also prevents the loss of bone mass attributed to oophorectomy, but this is accompanied by an increase in body mass and a greater increase in uterus weight than that observed after treatment with LY-117018 HCl.

[Capsular polysaccharide of Klebsiella pneumoniae. II. Immunogenic properties]. / Polisacárido capsular de Klebsiella pneumoniae. II. Propiedades inmunogénicas.

It has been considered that the polysaccharide capsular material from microorganisms such as Klebsiella pneumoniae induces mainly thymus-independent humoral immunity, nevertheless studies done with Bacteroides fragilis have shown the participation of cellular immune effector mechanisms. Works done to define the immunogenic role of the capsular polysaccharide of Klebsiella pneumoniae indicate that both active and passive immunization with these antigens confer protection against infections with this bacteria. Several studies propose the use of vaccines prepared with one or various capsular serotypes of Klebsiella pneumoniae in immunoprophylaxis or immunotherapy.

Opsonic capacity of a hyperimmune serum against outer membrane proteins of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

The opsonic capacity of a hyperimmune rabbit serum against a porin-rich outer membrane protein preparation of a strain of K. pneumoniae was evaluated. By immunoblot, the antiserum recognized mainly the porins from an outer membrane protein preparation. Using an ELISA, the titer of anti-porin antibodies was determined. Through a chemiluminescence assay, the increase in the respiratory burst of murine hyperimmune serum was recorded. These data correlate with the results of the microbicidal assays and with the electron microscopy preparations obtained where a great number of bacteria were seen within the macrophages. The in vitro data show that there is a greater bacterial killing when the macrophage is infected with bacteria opsonized with the hyperimmune serum.