Knowledge, attitudes and experience of physicians working in Chile toward the prescription of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): A cross-national survey.

BACKGROUND: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) involves administering antiretroviral drugs to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in at-risk subjects. Chile is considered one of the countries with the highest number of new cases per year of HIV infections. METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional study was carried out in Chile. A questionnaire of physicians' attitudes toward the prescription of PrEP was used. RESULTS: 632 doctors responded correctly the survey. 58.5% (n = 370) were women, and median age was 34 years (IQR 25-43). 55.4% (n = 350) responded that they have never prescribed antiretrovirals for HIV-negative individuals to prevent HIV infection, and only 10.1% have prescribed PrEP. 60.8% (n = 384) mentioned having informed about the possibility of using antiretroviral post-exposure prophylaxis in case of risky sexual activity. 76.3% (n = 482) believed each institution should formulate internal protocols for administering these drugs, and 98.4% (n = 622) stated that with the currently available evidence, PrEP should be suggested to cope with the HIV pandemic. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that knowledge, attitudes and experience toward PrEP prescribing are variable and related to patient care. However, Chile has a marked tendency in favor of this therapy, which is similar to that reported in studies worldwide.

Unusual presentation Achenbach syndrome.

Achenbach syndrome is a condition of unknown etiology, characterized by changes in the coloration of the skin of the fingers and associated with acute pain. There are few epidemiological data, but it is estimated that it is a rare condition, which exceptionally appears under 40 years of age. We present the case of a young woman who has been diagnosed with Achenbach syndrome thanks to her history and after ruling out rheumatic, vascular, and metabolic pathology. We finalize by discussing data on the pathology and the differences found with the case we describe here.

El síndrome de Achenbach es una condición de etiología desconocida, caracterizado por cambios en la coloración de la piel de los dedos y asociado a dolor agudo. Existen pocos datos epidemiológicos, pero se estima que es una condición rara, que excepcionalmente aparece por debajo de los 40 años de edad. Presentamos el caso de una mujer joven a quien se dio el diagnóstico de síndrome de Achenbach por sus antecedentes y después de descartar patología reumática, vascular y metabólica. Comentamos datos sobre la patología y las diferencias que se encuentran con el caso que describimos.

Achenbach's syndrome: a rare condition.

Achenbach's syndrome corresponds to a pathology characterized by the appearance of ecchymoses and bruises on the fingers of the hands and eventually on the feet. It is a benign and self-limited disease, which is accompanied by pain. It generates great concern because its sudden appearance leads women who are the most affected to consult the emergency services. At present, its pathophysiology is unknown and requires knowledge of the disease to diagnose it. It is a must for poorly trained professionals.

Usefulness of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in a population with high cardiovascular risk.

BACKGROUND: High blood pressure is considered a disease and at the same time a cardiovascular risk factor, mainly involved in ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and kidney failure, causing high mortality worldwide. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to follow up with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in patients with high blood pressure belonging to a population with high cardiovascular risk. METHOD: Descriptive, observational, retrospective study, which analyzes 24-hour outpatient pressure controls of 1858 patients, in Cartagena, Colombia. RESULTS: 1173 exams were validated and included in the study. The median age was 66 years. 66.8% (783) were women and 33.2% (390) were men. The main changes occurred during the night, when 79.1% of the patients had high systolic pressure loads, 65.6% recorded diastolic pressure averages and 83.7% had abnormal circadian patterns. Only 11% of the studies were normal in all parameters. CONCLUSIONS: 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring proved to be a useful tool to identify uncontrolled hypertensive patients, detect nocturnal hypertension and abnormal circadian patterns, which are risk markers for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

ANTECEDENTES: La hipertensión arterial es considerada una enfermedad y al mismo tiempo un factor de riesgo cardiovascular, involucrada principalmente en la cardiopatía isquémica, la enfermedad cerebrovascular y la insuficiencia renal, causando una elevada mortalidad. OBJETIVO: Realizar seguimiento con monitoreo ambulatorio de la presión arterial de 24 horas en pacientes con hipertensión arterial pertenecientes a una población con alto riesgo cardiovascular. MÉTODO: Estudio descriptivo, observacional, retrospectivo, en el que se analizaron los monitoreos ambulatorios de presión de 24 horas de 1858 pacientes, en Cartagena, Colombia. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron 1173 registros. La mediana de edad fue de 66 años. El 66.8% (783) fueron mujeres y el 33.2% (390) fueron hombres. Las principales alteraciones ocurrieron durante la noche, cuando el 79.1% de los pacientes tuvieron cargas elevadas de presión sistólica, el 65.6% registraron promedios elevados de presión diastólica y el 83.7% tuvieron patrones circadianos anormales. Solo el 11% de los estudios fueron normales en todos los parámetros. CONCLUSIONES: El monitoreo ambulatorio de la presión arterial de 24 horas demostró ser una herramienta útil para identificar a los pacientes hipertensos no controlados, detectando hipertensión nocturna y patrones circadianos anormales, los cuales son marcadores de riesgo para morbilidad y mortalidad cardiovascular.

Primary undifferentiated sarcoma of left atrium.

El objetivo es ilustrar al lector sobre un tumor infrecuente en la literatura médica y resumir los conocimientos actuales que se tienen sobre esta patología. Caso clínico: Reportamos el caso de un varón en la quinta década de la vida, a quien se realizó ecocardiograma transtorácico por deterioro de la clase funcional. La ultrasonografía evidenció un tumor que ocupaba el 95% de la aurícula izquierda, con compromiso hemodinámico e hipertensión pulmonar grave. Luego de estudios de extensión, fue llevado a cirugía para extracción de la masa por esternotomía media. La patología reveló sarcoma de alto grado indiferenciado sin compromiso linfovascular.This text aimed to illustrate the reader about one of the most infrequent tumors in the medical literature and discuss based on current literature what is known to date of this pathology. Case report: We report the case of a male in the fifth decade of life, who underwent transthoracic echocardiography due to impairment of the functional class. Ultrasound showed tumor lesion that occupied 95% of the left atrium, with hemodynamic compromise and severe pulmonary hypertension. After extension studies, he was taken to surgery with total mass extraction by middle stereotomy. The pathology revealed undifferentiated high-grade sarcoma without lymphovascular involvement.

Sarcoma cardíaco metastático a miembros inferiores / Cardiac sarcoma with metastasis to the lower limbs / Sarcoma cardíaco metastático dos membros inferiores

Introducción. Las neoplasias de corazón son patologías infrecuentes con tasas de incidencias en reportes de autopsias menores al 0.02 %. El 75 % de esos tumores son de comportamiento benigno y solo el 25 % restante se considera cáncer. Aunque se presentan en ambos sexos, la relación hombres mujeres es de 2.5:1 respectivamente. Presentación del caso. Reportamos el caso de un paciente de 41 años a quien se diagnosticó con un sarcoma primario de corazón, en atrio izquierdo, con inmunohistoquímica compatible con sarcoma indiferenciado con metástasis a miembros inferiores, que debutó con deterioro de la clase funcional y pérdida de peso involuntaria, lo cual lo llevó a consultar al médico. Discusión. Los sarcomas indiferenciados constituyen una patología poco frecuente en la literatura médica, encontrando solo unos pocos reportes de casos que comparten datos relacionados con el sitio de localización de la lesión y los síntomas clínicos de los pacientes. Sin embargo, aquí se pone de manifiesto un extraño caso de metástasis a miembros inferiores, el cual fue considerado luego de descartar la presencia de un foramen oval permeable o lesiones pulmonares que hicieran pensar en una secuencia de migración tumoral diferente. Conclusiones. Se trata de una patología compleja con pobre pronóstico a largo plazo, la cual requiere mayor investigación y tratamiento multifactorial con equipos multidisciplinarios para mejorar la calidad de vida de los pacientes.

Introduction. Neoplasms of the heart are infrequent pathologies with incidence rates in autopsy reports less than 0.02%. 75 % of these tumors are benign and only the remaining 25 % are considered cancerous. Although they occur in both sexes, the male to female ratio is 2.5: 1 respectively. Case report. We report the case of a 41-year-old patient who was diagnosed with a primary heart sarcoma, in the left atrium, with immunohistochemistry compatible with undifferentiated sarcoma with metastases to the lower limbs, who debuted with impairment of functional class and loss of involuntary weight which led him to consult the doctor. Discussion. Undifferentiated sarcomas constitute a rare pathology in the medical literature, finding only a few cases reports that share data, such as the location of the lesion and the clinical symptoms of the patients. However, this case reveals a strange case of metastasis to lower limbs, which was considered, after ruling out the presence of a patent foramen ovale or lung lesions that suggested a different tumor migration sequence. Conclusions. This is a complex pathology with a poor long-term prognosis that requires more re- search and multifactorial treatment with multidisciplinary teams to improve the quality of life of patients

Introdução. As neoplasias do coração são patologias pouco frequentes, com taxas de incidência em relatórios de autópsia inferiores a 0,02%. 75% desses tumores são benignos e apenas 25% restantes são considerados câncer. Embora ocorram em ambos os sexos, a proporção entre homens e mulheres é de 2,5: 1 respectivamente. Apresentação do caso. Relatamos o caso de um paciente de 41 anos de idade com diagnóstico de sarcoma primário do coração, no átrio esquerdo, com imuno-histoquímica compatível com sarcoma indiferenciado com metástase nos membros inferiores, que começou com deterioração da classe funcional e perda involuntária de peso, o que o levou a consultar o médico. Discussão. Os sarcomas indiferenciados constituem uma patologia rara na literatura médica, encontrando apenas alguns relatos de casos que compartilham dados relacionados ao local da localização da lesão e aos sintomas clínicos dos pacientes. No entanto, aqui é revelado um caso estranho de metástase nos membros inferiores, que foi considerado após descartar a presença de forame oval permeável ou lesões pulmonares que sugerem uma sequência de migração tumoral diferente. Conclusões. É uma patologia complexa, com mau prognóstico a longo prazo, que requer mais investigação e tratamento multifatorial com equipes multidisciplinares para melhorar a qualidade de vida dos pacientes.

Gossypibomas en neurocirugía / Gossypibomas in neurosurgery

Introducción: El término «gossypiboma» proviene del latín gossypium, que hace referencia a un género de plantas de algodón, y de la palabra kiswahili boma, que se traduce como «lugar de escondite». Puede confundirse con lesiones tumorales o abscesos debido a la forma de encapsulación evidenciada en los exámenes imaginológicos y su clínica variable e inespecífica, situación que genera dificultad para el diagnóstico y una morbilidad importante. Objetivo: Sintetizar la evidencia disponible sobre la presencia de gossypibomas durante la realización de procedimientos quirúrgicos en neurocirugía. Desarrollo: Se realizó una revisión en la cual se incluyó una búsqueda de artículos en inglés y castellano publicados en los últimos 15 años en PubMed, Ebsco Host, Embase, Mediclatina, Cochrane, Lilacs y Scopus, entre enero y junio de 2019, utilizando las palabras clave «gossypiboma», «textiloma», «neurosurgery» y «neurosurgical procedures». El total de artículos encontrados en la búsqueda fue de 630; sin embargo, tras la selección por título y resumen fueron 22 los artículos de informe de caso que se incluyeron. Se identificó a un total de 36 individuos, de los cuales 21 (58,3%) eran mujeres, y cuya edad media era de 56,1 años. En 20 casos (55,6%) se observaron esponjas quirúrgicas como gossypibomas. Conclusiones: El gossypiboma es una complicación secundaria a procedimientos quirúrgicos, con signos y síntomas bastante inespecíficos. Su tiempo de aparición suele oscilar entre unos cuantos días hasta varios años después de realizada la cirugía y se correlaciona con múltiples implicaciones médicas y legales

Introduction: The term 'gossypiboma' comes from the Latin gossypium, which refers to a genus of cotton plants, and from the Swahili word boma, which translates as ‘place of concealment’. It may be mistaken for tumorous lesions or abscesses due to the way it is encapsulated, as evidenced in imaging examinations, and its variable and non-specific clinical features, which give rise to difficulty in its diagnosis and significant morbidity. Aim: To synthesise the available evidence on the presence of gossypibomas during neurosurgical procedures. Development: A review was performed that included a search for articles in English and Spanish published in the last 15 years in PubMed, Ebsco Host, Embase, Mediclatina, Cochrane, Lilacs and Scopus, between January and June 2019, using the keywords 'gossypiboma', 'textiloma¡, 'neurosurgery' and 'neurosurgical procedures'. In all, a total of 630 articles were found in the search, although, after selecting them by title and abstract, 22 case report articles were included for this review process. Altogether 36 individuals were identified, of whom 21 (58.3%) were women, and whose mean age was 56.1 years. Surgical sponges were observed as gossypibomas in 20 cases (55.6%). Conclusions: Gossypiboma is a complication secondary to surgical procedures that presents fairly unspecific signs and symptoms. The time that elapses before it appears usually ranges from a few days to several years after surgery and is correlated with multiple medical and legal implications