Intraoperative subcutaneous culture as a predictor of surgical site infection in open gynecological surgery.

PURPOSE: To analyze the relationship between intraoperative cultures and the development of surgical site infection (SSI) in women undergoing laparotomy for gynecological surgery. METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study. Over a six-year period, women who underwent elective laparotomy at our hospital were included. Patients' demographics, underlying co-morbidities, surgical variables, type and etiology of postoperative surgical site infections were collected. Skin and subcutaneous samples were taken just prior to skin closure and processed for microbiological analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses (logistic regression model) were conducted to explore the association of the studied variables with SSIs. RESULTS: 284 patients were included in our study, of which 20 (7%) developed surgical site infection, including 11 (55%) superficial and nine (45%) organ-space. At univariate analysis, length of surgery, colon resection, transfusion and positive intraoperative culture were associated with surgical site infection occurrence. Skin and subcutaneous cultures were positive in 25 (8.8%) and 20 (7%) patients, respectively. SSI occurred in 35% of women with positive subcutaneous culture and in 20% of those with positive skin cultures. Using multivariate analysis, the only independent factor associated with surgical site infection was a positive subcutaneous culture (OR 10.4; 95% CI 3.5-30.4; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Intraoperative subcutaneous cultures before skin closure may help early prediction of surgical site infection in open gynecological procedures.

Estudio de la percepción de los profesionales implicados en el proceso de suministro de medicación a ancianos que viven en residencias desde una farmacia comunitaria / Study of the perception of the professionals involved in the process of administering medications to the elderly who live in residences from a community pharmacy

Introducción: la consulta a los profesionales implicados en el proceso de suministro de medicación a los centros sociosanitarios permite conocer su percepción sobre dicho proceso y las posibles mejoras que se puedan introducir en él, como la implantación de un protocolo que estandarice toda la cadena de suministro. Material y métodos: estudio observacional descriptivo realizado en dos residencias de ancianos con una muestra de 50 profesionales voluntarios, que respondieron de forma anónima a un cuestionario elaborado ad hoc para la investigación. Resultados: un 76 % da mucha importancia a la cadena de suministro de medicación al anciano. El 78 % vio relevante la implantación de un protocolo que regule el proceso. El 72 % destacó como muy importante la relación entre farmacia comunitaria y residencia. El 54 % opinó que la limitada legibilidad de lo escrito en la orden de prescripción produce errores. El 34 % señaló que nunca hay errores por confusión de horarios de administración, dosis o duración de tratamientos. El 58 % indicó que pocas veces hay errores relacionados con la transmisión de información. El 86 % opinó que nunca se producen errores por el envío de la orden de prescripción a la farmacia comunitaria. Conclusiones: la atención farmacéutica al anciano en centros sociosanitarios y la implantación de un protocolo que regule todo el proceso de suministro de medicación fueron consideradas muy importantes por la mayoría de los profesionales implicados en el proceso. El ambiente positivo de colaboración generado por la consulta ha llevado a plantear a los participantes el diseño de un protocolo

Background and aim: The query to the professionals involved in the process of supplying medication to the socio-health centers allows us to understand their perception of the process and the possible improvements that could be made to the supply chain, such as the implemen-tation of a protocol that standardizes the entire supply chain.Methods and results: A descriptive observational study conducted in two nursing homes with a sample of 50 volunteer professionals, who responded anonymously to a questionnaire prepared ad hoc for researchOutcomes: 76 % of respondants saw the importance in the medication supply chain to the elderly. 78 % saw the implementation of a protocol that regulates the process as relevant. 72 % highlighted the relationship between the Cummunity Pharmacy and residence as very important. 54 % thought that the limited readability of what was written in the prescription order produces errors. 34 % indicated there are never errors due to confusion of administration schedules, doses or duration of treatments. 58 % indicated there are rarely errors related to the transmission of information. 86 % thought errors do not occur in the proccess of sending the prescription order to the Community Pharmacy.Conclusions: Pharmaceutical care for the elderly in socio-health centers and the implementation of a protocol which regulates the entire medication supply process were considered very important by the majority of professionals involved in the process. The positive collaboration environment generated by the consultation has made think to the participants about the design of a protocol

Prognosis and treatment-selection criteria for patients with high-grade stage IIIc-IV serous ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal cancer / Pronóstico y selección de tratamiento en pacientes con cáncer seroso de ovario, de trompas de Falopio o peritoneal de alto grado, estadio IIIc-IV

Objective: To determine the impact of implementing strict treatment-selection criteria on the overall outcome of women with high-grade serous advanced stage ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma. Material and methods: We included patients treated for high-grade serous advanced stage ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma at our Institution from January 2007 to March 2015. All other non-serous, low-grade histology tumors and secondary cytoreductions were excluded. strict treatment-selection criteria was used to decide on primary cytoreductive surgery versus neoad-juvant chemotherapy and type of adjuvant therapy. Collected data included patient and tumor characteristics, preoperative diagnostic procedures, surgical treatment, perioperative complications, and neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapies. Appropriate statistical tests were used and survival analysis performed. Results: We identified 71 eligible patients. Mean age was 58.5 ± 11.8 years, 28.2% received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and 77.5% had optimal cytoreductive surgery to < 1 cm residual disease. Major complications were observed in 16.9% of women, with no significant difference between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and primary cytoreductive surgery groups. With a median follow-up of 35.7 months, median overall survival was not achieved and 57.2% of patients were alive 54 months after surgery. A total of 24 out of 71 (33.8%) died of disease, 11 (45.8%) within two years after surgery. Median progression-free survival was 19.5 months (95% CI 14.8-24.3). Conclusions: Applying strict treatment-selection criteria for patients with high-grade serous advanced stage ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma ensures few surgical complications and excellent survival rates for the majority of these women

Objetivo: determinar el impacto de la implementación de criterios estrictos de selección de tratamiento sobre el pronóstico de las mujeres con carcinoma seroso de ovario, trompa de Falopio o peritoneal primario en estadio avanzado y de alto grado. Material y métodos: entre enero de 2007 y marzo de 2015 se incluyeron pacientes tratadas por carcinoma ovárico seroso avanzado de alto grado, trompa de Falopio o carcinoma peritoneal primario en nuestro hospital. Se utilizaron criterios estrictos de selección de tratamiento para decidir sobre la cirugía citorreductora primaria versus quimioterapia neoadyuvante y el tipo de tratamiento adyuvante. Los datos recogidos incluyeron características del paciente y del tumor, procedimientos diagnósticos preoperatorios, tratamiento quirúrgico, complicaciones perioperatorias y quimioterapias neoadyuvantes y adyuvantes. Se utilizaron pruebas estadísticas adecuadas y se realizó un análisis de supervivencia. Resultados: se incluyeron 71 pacientes. La edad media fue de 58,5 ± 11,8 años, el 28,2% recibió quimioterapia neoadyuvante y el 77,5% tuvo una cirugía citorreductora óptima (< 1 cm de enfermedad residual). Se observaron complicaciones mayores en el 16,9% de las mujeres, sin diferencias significativas entre los grupos de quimioterapia neoadyuvante y de cirugía citorreductora primaria. Con una mediana de seguimiento de 35,7 meses, no se alcanzó la mediana de supervivencia global y el 57,2% de los pacientes estaban vivas 54 meses después de la cirugía. Un total de 24 de 71 (33.8%) murieron de enfermedad, 11 (45.8%) en los dos años después de la cirugía. La mediana de supervivencia libre de progresión fue de 19,5 meses (IC del 95%: 14,8-24,3). Conclusiones: la aplicación de criterios estrictos de selección de tratamiento para pacientes con carcinoma seroso ovárico, de trompa de Falopio o carcinoma peritoneal primario en estadio avanzado de alto grado asegura pocas complicaciones quirúrgicas y buenas tasas de supervivencia para la mayoría de estas pacientes

Can Gut Microbiota and Lifestyle Help Us in the Handling of Anorexia Nervosa Patients?

Gut microbiota is composed of different microorganisms that play an important role in the host. New research shows that bidirectional communications happen between intestinal microbiota and the brain, which is known as the gut⁻brain axis. This communication is significant and could have a negative or positive effect depending on the state of the gut microbiota. Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a mental illness associated with metabolic, immunologic, biochemical, sensory abnormalities, and extremely low body weight. Different studies have shown a dysbiosis in patients with AN. Due to the gut⁻brain axis, it was observed that some of the symptoms could be improved in these patients by boosting their gut microbiota. This paper highlights some evidence connecting the role of microbiota in the AN onset and disease progress. Finally, a proposal is done to include the microbiota analysis as part of the recovery protocol used to treat AN patients. When conducting clinical studies of gut microbiota in AN patients, dysbiosis is expected to be found. Then the prescription of a personalized treatment rich in prebiotics and probiotics could be proposed to reverse the dysbiosis.

The impact of participatory teaching methods on medical students' perception of their abilities and knowledge of epidemiology and statistics.

Statistics and Epidemiology are crucial both in clinical decision-making and clinical research. Teaching these disciplines in a Bachelor's Degree in Medicine is a significant challenge. In this paper, we aim to describe two participatory teaching methods used in a yearlong second-year course that includes both Epidemiology and Statistics, and to analyze how these two methodologies affect the students' perception of the course and their abilities related to these subjects. Both methodologies consist in carrying out a specific practical activity. The first practical activity is carried out using a website and aims to help students understand concepts and interpret information; the second involves analyzing a database using a statistical package and, subsequently, producing a scientific report. In addition, we prepared a questionnaire to find out the students' perception of these issues. The nine questionnaire items were assessed using a rating scale and adapted to characteristics of the course, which covers Epidemiology and Statistics in an integrated manner. Then we assessed the differences in perception before and after the activities were carried out. The results show that the students' perception improved significantly in the following items: "importance of Statistics and Epidemiology in Medicine"; "usefulness in clinical practice"; "understanding concepts"; "ability to perform a statistical analysis"; and "ability to sort data". The difference was not significant in the remaining four items. In conclusion, the students' perception of their ability in Statistics and Epidemiology significantly improved after completing the practical activities, and their perception of importance and usefulness of these subjects also improved.

[Role of double strand DNA break repair for quinolone sensitivity in Escherichia coli: therapeutic implications]. / El papel de la reparación de roturas de doble cadena de ADN en Escherichia coli en la sensibilidad a quinolonas: implicaciones terapéuticas.

INTRODUCTION: Quinolones are one of the types of antibiotics with higher resistance rates in the last years. At molecular level, quinolones block type II topoisomerases producing double strand breaks (DSBs). These DSBs could play a double role, as inductors of the quinolone bactericidal effects but also as mediators of the resistance and tolerance mechanisms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this work we have studied the molecular pathways responsible for DSBs repair in the quinolone susceptibility: the stalled replication fork reversal (recombination-dependent) (RFR), the SOS response induction, the translesional DNA synthesis (TLS) and the nucleotide excision repair mechanisms (NER). For this reason, at the European University in Madrid, we analysed the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) to three different quinolones in Escherichia coli mutant strains coming from different type culture collections. RESULTS: recA, recBC, priA and lexA mutants showed a significant reduction on the MIC values for all quinolones tested. No significant changes were observed on mutant strains for TLS and NER. DISCUSSION: These data indicate that in the presence of quinolones, RFR mechanisms and the SOS response could be involved in the quinolone susceptibility.

El papel de la reparación de roturas de doble cadena de ADN en Escherichia coli en la sensibilidad a quinolonas: implicaciones terapéuticas / Role of double strand DNA break repair for quinolone sensitivity in Escherichia coli: therapeutic implications

Introducción. Las quinolonas son uno de los tipos de antibióticos cuyas tasas de resistencia se han visto incrementadas en los últimos años. A nivel molecular, bloquean a las topoisomerasas tipo II generando cortes de doble cadena (double strand breaks, DSBs) en el ADN. Se ha propuesto que estos DSBs podrían tener un doble papel, como mediadores de su efecto bactericida y también como responsables de desencadenar los mecanismos de resistencia y tolerancia a las quinolonas. Material y métodos. En el presente trabajo hemos estudiado la implicación de los mecanismos de reparación de DSBs en la sensibilidad a las quinolonas: reanudación de horquillas de replicación paradas dependiente de recombinación (RFR), inducción de la respuesta SOS, reparación por síntesis translesional (TLS) y escisión de nucleótidos (NER). Para ello, en los laboratorios de la Universidad Europea de Madrid, se han analizado las concentraciones mínimas inhibitorias (CMIs) de tres quinolonas diferentes en mutantes procedentes de varias colecciones de cultivos tipo de Escherichia coli. Resultados. Mutantes en recA, recBC, priA y lexA mostraron una disminución significativa de la CMI a todas las quinolonas. No se observaron cambios significativos en estirpes mutantes en los mecanismos de reparación por TLS y NER. Discusión. Estos datos indican que, en presencia de quinolonas, los mecanismos de RFR y la inducción de la respuesta SOS estarían implicados en la aparición de mecanismos de sensibilidad a quinolonas (AU)

Introduction. Quinolones are one of the types of antibiotics with higher resistance rates in the last years. At molecular level, quinolones block type II topoisomerases producing double strand breaks (DSBs). These DSBs could play a double role, as inductors of the quinolone bactericidal effects but also as mediators of the resistance and tolerance mechanisms. Material and methods. In this work we have studied the molecular pathways responsible for DSBs repair in the quinolone susceptibility: the stalled replication fork reversal (recombination-dependent) (RFR), the SOS response induction, the translesional DNA synthesis (TLS) and the nucleotide excision repair mechanisms (NER). For this reason, at the European University in Madrid, we analysed the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) to three different quinolones in Escherichia coli mutant strains coming from different type culture collections. Results. recA, recBC, priA and lexA mutants showed a significant reduction on the MIC values for all quinolones tested. No significant changes were observed on mutant strains for TLS and NER. Discussion. These data indicate that in the presence of quinolones, RFR mechanisms and the SOS response could be involved in the quinolone susceptibility (AU)

Campylobacter bacteremia: clinical characteristics, incidence, and outcome over 23 years.

Campylobacter is a very rare cause of bloodstream infection, although it has been found relatively frequently in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and new forms of immunosuppression on the incidence of Campylobacter bacteremia has not been sufficiently assessed. In this study we analyzed the incidence and microbiologic and clinical characteristics of Campylobacter bacteremia over 23 years.We reviewed the clinical records of all patients who had Campylobacter bacteremia from 1985 to 2007. Available strains were reidentified using universal polymerase chain reaction (PCR).During the study period, there were 71 episodes of Campylobacter bacteremia in 63 patients (0.24% of all bloodstream infections), and the incidence remained stable (mean, 0.06/1000 admissions per year and 0.47/100,000 inhabitants per year). Median age was 52 years (interquartile range, 31.25-72.5 yr), and 82% of patients were male. The underlying conditions included liver disease (21/64, 32.8%), HIV infection (15/64, 23.4%), malignancy (7/64, 10.9%), solid organ transplantation (2/64, 3%), hypogammaglobulinemia (10/64, 15.6%), and other (18/64, 31.2%). Twelve patients shared more than 1 underlying condition. Campylobacter bacteremia was community acquired in 81% of the episodes. The origin of the bloodstream infection was abdominal (43.5%), primary (26%), or extraintestinal (31%: respiratory 15%, cellulitis 4.8%, urinary 8%, other 3%). C jejuni was recovered in 66% of cases, C fetus in 19%, and C coli in 12%.Universal PCR was performed on 14 available strains. Molecular and conventional identification matched in 8 isolates. In contrast, molecular methods classified as C fetus (n = 2) and C jejuni (n = 1) 3 strains formerly identified only to genus level as Campylobacter species. In another 3 isolates, molecular identification was not consistent with the phenotypic identification (C fetus identified as C jejuni).Complications appeared in 23.9% of patients. Quinolone resistance was observed in 50% of the isolates. Only 37.8% of patients received appropriate empirical therapy. Mortality was 16.4%, although it was higher in HIV-infected patients than uninfected patients (33% vs. 10%; p = 0.04), in cases of hospital-acquired Campylobacter bacteremia compared with community-acquired cases (38.5% vs. 9.4%; p = 0.02), and in the presence of complications compared with patients without complications (100% vs. 0%; p < 0.001). The incidence of recurrence was 5% (3 patients with humoral immunodeficiency). There was a higher proportion of HIV-infected patients among patients with Campylobacter bacteremia in the pre-HAART era (1985-1996) than in the HAART era (1997-2007)-27.5% (11/40) vs. 14.3% (4/28)-although the difference was not statistically significant. Debilitating diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease emerged as predisposing conditions in the HAART era (0% before HAART era vs. 14.3% in HAART era; p = 0.032).Campylobacter bacteremia is no longer a significant disease of HIV-positive patients on HAART, but often affects other immunocompromised patients as well. Campylobacter bacteremia has an extraintestinal origin in as many as 31% of cases, and humoral immunodeficiency must be sought in patients with recurrent episodes. Quinolones should not be considered for empirical therapy.