OBJECTIVE:To investigate possible predictors and prevalence of surgical site infections (SSIs) in a group of Mexican patients who underwent open abdominal surgery.
METHODS:This retrospective study ...included all patients (N = 755) who underwent elective or emergency open abdominal surgeries from October 2011 to March 2012.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected through preoperative and postoperative examinations by the infection surveillance team. The relationship among variables (age, gender, body mass index, comorbidities, smoking habit, antimicrobial prophylaxis, hair removal, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, type of operation, duration of operation, and SSI classification) was analyzed by odds ratio and χ tests.
MAIN RESULTS:Of the 755 patients, 91 (12%) suffered from SSI. Several variables were associated with SSIAmerican Society of Anesthesiologists classification (P = .001) and receiving preoperative prophylactic antimicrobials (P < .0001), among other factors. Isolated pathogens were mostly enterobacteria (60%).
CONCLUSIONS:Surveillance plays an important role in the control and prevention of SSI. Providers must implement appropriate procedures to reduce SSI after abdominal surgery.
The amount of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) around the heart has been identified as an independent predictor of coronary artery disease (CAD), potentially through local release of inflammatory ...cytokines. Ethnic differences have been observed, but no studies have investigated this relationship in the Mexican population. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether a relationship exist between EAT thickness assessed via echocardiography with CAD and adiponectin levels in a Mexican population.
We studied 153 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). EAT thickness on the free wall of the right ventricle was measured at the end of systole from parasternal long and short axis views of three consecutive cardiac cycles. Coronary angiograms were analyzed for the presence, extent and severity of CAD. Serum adiponectin, lipids, glucose, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen were determined.
EAT thickness was greater in patients with CAD than in those without CAD from both parasternal long (5.39 ± 1.75 mm vs 4.00 ± 1.67 mm p<0.0001) and short-axis views (5.23 ± 1.67 vs 4.12 ± 1.77, p=0.001). EAT thickness measured from parasternal long and short-axis showed a statistically significant positive correlation with age (r=0.354, p<0.001; r=0.286, p<0.001 respectively), and waist circumference (r=0.189, p=0.019; r=0.217, p=0.007 respectively). A significant negative correlation between EAT thickness from the parasternal long axis with cholesterol-HDL was observed (r=-0.163, p=0.045). No significant correlation was found between epicardial fat thickness and serum adiponectin or with the severity of CAD.
EAT thickness was greater in patients with CAD. However, no correlation was observed with the severity of the disease or with serum adiponectin levels. EAT thickness measured by echocardiography might provide additional information for risk assessment and prediction of CAD.
Introducción: La insuficiencia cardiaca en pacientes con fibrilación auricular no valvular (FANV) es de dos a tres veces más frecuente que en individuos sin FANV. Objetivo: Identificar los factores ...de riesgo cardiometabólico (FRCM) y el tratamiento antitrombótico de pacientes con FANV e insuficiencia cardiaca con fracción de expulsión reducida (IC-FEr), y determinar si existen diferencias conforme al sexo. Métodos: En forma global y de acuerdo con el sexo se analizaron FRCM, riesgo protrombótico, riesgo de sangrado y terapia antitrombótica. Resultados: De 1423 pacientes con FANV, 336 tuvieron IC-FEr. Las mujeres promediaron mayor edad que los hombres. No hubo diferencia entre los sexos respecto al tipo de FANV o uso de anticoagulantes orales directos. La hipertensión arterial sistémica fue más frecuente en mujeres. Un 3.6 % de los pacientes reportó antecedente de ataque isquémico transitorio y 10 % de evento vascular cerebral, sin diferencias en cuanto al sexo. El porcentaje de hombres con riesgo embólico elevado fue mayor, pero sin tratamiento antitrombótico, en comparación con las mujeres. Conclusiones: Se encontraron diferencias significativas de acuerdo con el sexo en pacientes con FANV e IC-FEr, tanto en FRCM y algunas comorbilidades, como en el tratamiento antitrombótico de acuerdo con el riesgo embólico y de sangrado.
Heart failure in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is two to three times more common than in individuals without NVAF.
To identify cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) and ...antithrombotic treatment in patients with NVAF and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and to determine if there were differences according to gender.
CMRF, pro-thrombotic risk, bleeding risk, and antithrombotic therapy were globally analyzed and according to gender.
Out of 1,423 patients with NVAF, 336 had HFrEF. On average, females were older than males. There was no difference between genders with regard to the type of NVAF or direct oral anticoagulants use. Hypertension was more common in women. History of transient ischemic attack was reported in 3.6% of the patients and cerebrovascular event in 10%, without differences in terms of gender. The percentage of men with elevated embolic risk was higher, but without antithrombotic treatment, in comparison with women.
Significant differences were found according to gender in patients with NVAF and HFrEF, both in CMRF and some comorbidities, as well as in antithrombotic treatment according to embolic and bleeding risk.
Homocysteine is implicated as an early atherosclerotic promoter, which enhances the smooth muscle cell proliferation and produces free radicals that induce cellular damage. These factors must have a ...role in the progression of atherosclerosis that subsequently leads to vascular mineralization. Aim: Identify a correlation between the plasma concentration of total homocysteine and the amount of minerals that accumulate in the aorta of patients with atherosclerosis. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in 13 patients with three-vessel coronary artery disease, undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. Aortic and mammary artery specimens were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The homocysteine was determined using an immunonephelometry method. Results: The amount of minerals in the aorta was greater (300±181.6 particles per 500 µm2) than that in the mammary artery (64±45 particles per 500 µm2)(p < 0.01). The average tHcy was 9.5±2.3 µmol/L. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was positive between tHcy, and aortic iron (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that the aorta is dramatically affected by mineralization compared to the mammary artery. In addition, a direct correlation was identified between the levels of tHcy and the iron particles in the aortic wall.
Documenting the patterns of oral anticoagulation therapy (OAT) is essential to prevent thromboembolic complications of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).
To report the patterns of OAT according ...to age and thromboembolic risk in patients included in CARMEN-AF, a nationwide registry of NVAF in Mexico, an upper middle-income country.
There were 1,423 consecutive patients ≥18 years old and with at least one thromboembolic risk factor enrolled in the CARMEN-AF Registry at their regular clinical visit during a three-year period. They were analyzed according to 1) age, 2) AF type, and 3) CHA
DS
-VASc score.
Overall, 16.4% of patients did not receive antithrombotic treatment, 19.4% received antiplatelet drugs (APD), 29.2% vitamin K antagonists (VKA), and 34.6% direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC). With increasing age, the proportion of subjects treated with VKA decreased significantly from 36.2% in subjects <65 years to 22.5% in those ≥75 years old (
<0.0001). Concomitantly, an increase in both APD and no antithrombotic treatment was observed with increasing age. DOAC were prescribed equally among all age groups (34.2% in <65, 36.0% in 65-74, and 33.9% in ≥75). According to the type of AF, VKA use was more common in patients with permanent AF (32.7%). A lower use of DOAC was observed in high thromboembolic risk subjects (33.6% in CHA
DS
-VASc ≥2) compared with the moderate risk group (41% in CHA
DS
-VASc = 1).
VKA use for NVAF in Mexico decreased in relation to increasing age. The proportion of DOAC therapy was the same in all age groups. Nevertheless, elderly patients with high thromboembolic risk received a suboptimal thromboprophylaxis. These data could help to improve gaps in the implementation of global guidelines.
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02334852.
CARMEN-AF is a nationwide multi-centric registry seeking to bridge the data gap on anticoagulation therapy for NVAF in Mexico.Elderly patients are more prone to receive suboptimal OAT for NVAF.DOAC were less frequently used in high thromboembolic risk patients (CHA
DS
-VASc ≥2).
Background and objective: The last few years have seen the appearance many mobile applications aimed at improving health, but studies analyzing their effectiveness on cardiovascular risk factors ...(CVRFs) are few and far between. Our aim was to assess the effect on CVRFs such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and global CVR, of adding the use of a smartphone app to an intervention consisting of standard counseling on physical activity and the Mediterranean diet.
Method: This is a multicenter, randomized and controlled clinical trial. From January 2014 and September 2016, a total of 833 subjects selected by random sampling from six health centers participated. Of these, 415 were assigned to the counseling + app group (IG) and 418 to the counseling only group (CG). The IG additionally received training in the use of a mobile application. The main outcome was the change in CVRFs and estimated CVR at 3 and 12 months in the IG compared to the CG.
Results: No significant changes were observed at 3 or 12 months in terms of CVR. Nevertheless, an effect between groups was observed in favor of the CG at 12 months in some CVRFS: SBP, DBP, total cholesterol and triglycerides: 2.02 mmHg (95%CI: 0.43–3.61), 1.21 mmHg (95%CI: 0.20–2.24), 5.24 mg/dl (95%CI: 1.22–9.26) and 7.24 mg/dl (95%CI: 0.53–14.32).
Conclusion: Adding an intervention with the use of an app for three months to standard counseling on diet and physical activity, does not provide additional benefits for improving CVRFs or the estimated CVR in the long term.
Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02016014
Congenital cardiac diseases are the most frequent congenital malformations. In adult patients, the mineralisation of the aorta due to cardiovascular disease is very common, but vascular ...mineralisation in paediatric cardiopathies is a topic less studied. This study shows that children with a complex congenital cardiopathy show a high degree of vascular mineralisation in the ascending aorta. This can be part of the cardiac failure pathophysiology due to congenital cardiopathies.
The aim of this study was to determine the presence and degree of vascular mineralisation in samples of the ascending and descending aorta of children with complex congenital cardiopathies.
We conducted a cross-sectional study.
We obtained 34 vascular tissues from the autopsies of 17 children with congenital cardiac disease.
We used a scanning electron microscope with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in order to analyse the vascular tissues.
The amount of minerals was two times higher in the ascending aorta than in the descending aorta of children with congenital cardiac disease.
The study provides evidence that vascular mineralisation can start at an early age, and that it is higher in the ascending aorta than in the descending aorta.
Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of stroke and systemic embolism. Several studies have suggested that female AF patients could have a greater risk for stroke. There is ...scarce information about clinical characteristics and use of antithrombotic therapies in Latin American patients with nonvalvular AF.
To describe the gender differences in clinical characteristics, thromboembolic risk, and antithrombotic therapy of patients with nonvalvular AF recruited in Mexico, an upper middle-income country, into the prospective national CARMEN-AF Registry.
A total of 1423 consecutive patients, with at least one thromboembolic risk factor were enrolled in CARMEN-AF Registry during a three-year period (2014–2017). They were categorized according to Gender.
Overall, 48.6% were women, mean age 70 ± 12 years. Diabetes, smoking, alcoholism, non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, and obstructive sleep apnea were higher in men. Most women were found with paroxysmal AF (40.6%), and most men with permanent AF (44.0%). No gender differences were found in the use of vitamin K antagonists (VKA) (30.5% in women vs. 28.0% in men). No gender differences were found in the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) (33.8% women vs 35.4% men).
CARMEN-AF Registry demonstrates that in Mexico, regardless of gender, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated. No gender differences were found in the use of VKA or DOAC.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most serious threats for human health in the near future. Livestock has played an important role in the appearance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, ...intestinal dysbiosis in farming animals, or the spread of AMR among pathogenic bacteria of human concern. The development of alternatives like probiotics is focused on maintaining or improving production levels while diminishing these negative effects of antibiotics. To this end, we supplied the potential probiotic
UGRA10 in the diet of laying hens at a final concentration of 10
Colony Forming Units per gram (CFU/g) of fodder. Its effects have been analyzed by: (i) investigating the response of the ileum and caecum microbiome; and (ii) analyzing the outcome on eggs production. During the second half of the experimental period (40 to 76 days), hens fed
UGRA10 maintained egg production, while control animals dropped egg production. Supplementation diet with
UGRA10 significantly increased ileum and caecum bacterial diversity (higher bacterial operational taxonomic unit richness and Faith's diversity index) of laying hens, with animals fed the same diet showing a higher similarity in microbial composition. These results point out to the beneficial effects of
UGRA10 in egg production. Future experiments are necessary to unveil the underlying mechanisms that mediate the positive response of animals to this treatment.
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