Medicina
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Background and Objectives: Bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often coexist, although the causality is not currently clear. Currently, the clinical influence of COPD on patients with major bronchiectasis over time has not yet been investigated. Material and Methods: This retrospective study recruited consecutive patients with bronchiectasis from outpatient clinic between January 2006 and December 2007. ⋯ Conclusion: COPD aggravated bronchiectasis extension, which was correlated with chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonisation. Moreover, COPD would affect the medium-term (in 3-5 years) bronchiectasis treatment. Therefore, the COPD phenotype of bronchiectasis could be a clinical predictor of the course of treatment.
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Background and Objectives: Shift work has a significant influence on the mental health of workers. Nursing is characterised by a rotational work system. This study aimed to determine whether there was a link between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and the risk of suffering an eating disorder (ED) in nurses according to their work shift. ⋯ Results: The results indicate that there are no differences in adherence to the MD depending on the work shift, being that adherence to the diet is already low. Statistically significant differences appear depending on the work shift in the following dimensions: restrictive behaviours and bulimia subscales (presenting higher scores in the 7-h rotating shift versus the fixed morning shift or 12-h rotating shift) and for total EAT-26 score. Conclusion: Whilst they do not condition adherence to a MD, the nursing shifts that are the most changing in terms of time patterns may condition restrictive behaviours and compensatory risk behaviours related to an ED.
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Background and Objectives: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is proatherogenic and associated with the risk of acute ischemic events, although the mechanisms that regulate TNF-α expression in stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) are not fully understood. We investigated whether metabolic, inflammatory, and epigenetic (microRNA (miRNA)) markers are associated with TNF-α expression in SCAD. Materials and Methods: Patients with SCAD were prospectively recruited and their metabolic and inflammatory profiles were assessed. ⋯ In multivariate analysis, serum triglyceride levels and miR-146a expression levels were independently associated with TNF-α levels. miR-146 expression levels were not associated with metabolic or other inflammatory parameters and were negatively correlated with the number of coronary vessels with obstructive disease (as indicated by r = 0.556, p = 0.017 for correlation between ΔCt miR-146a and number of diseased vessels). Conclusions: miR-146a expression levels were negatively correlated with TNF-α levels in patients with SCAD, irrespective of other metabolic or inflammatory markers, and with the severity of coronary artery disease. The results add to the knowledge on the role of miR-146a in TNF-α-based inflammation in SCAD and support future research on the potential therapeutic use of miR-146a in such a clinical scenario.
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Background and Objectives: Vaginitis causes vulvovaginal symptoms, including itching, irritation, vaginal discharge, burning, or foul odor. It is one of the most common diseases encountered in gynecologic practice. Hypoestrogenism due to menopause has a considerable negative effect on vaginal health and leads to changes in the vaginal pH and vaginal microflora, which are related to a change in the causes and microorganisms of vaginitis. ⋯ Pathogens and other microorganisms of patients with vulvovaginal symptoms that showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups were Ureaplasa parvum, Ureaplasma urealyticulum, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of pathogens and other microorganisms in menopausal women with vulvovaginal symptoms did not show a significant difference from premenopausal women. Therefore, management strategies for patients with vulvovaginal symptoms should be developed through accurate diagnosis using appropriate diagnostic methods.
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Background and Objectives: Protease activated receptor-2 (PAR2) is elevated in a variety of cancers and has been promoted as a potential therapeutic target. However, the clinical and prognostic values of PAR2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poorly characterized. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of PAR2 in HCC tissues and examine the prognostic value of PAR2 after resection in HCC. ⋯ In subgroup analyses, the combination of PAR2 expression and serum AFP provided improved prognostic ability for OS and DFS. Conclusion: Combination PAR2 and AFP predict HCC outcomes after resection. PAR2 represents a potentially clinically relevant biomarker for HCC.