Invasive species are significant drivers of global change due to their ecological impact, as well as the economic costs associated with managing them. While habitat selection studies have been an ...essential tool for managing endangered species, they have not been widely used for invasive species. A prime example of an invasive species is the red‐whiskered bulbul, which has spread to several parts of the world from Asia. This study focused on macrohabitat selection analysis during the winter of 2019–2020, with 200 point counts conducted over 784 km2 to identify habitats that are selected and avoided by the invader species in eastern Spain. In addition, the study analyzed 18 variables related to microhabitat, vegetation, and anthropogenic factors to determine those that are relevant for its abundance in the selected areas (74 point counts over 784 km2). The study found that the red‐whiskered bulbul was not detected in natural Mediterranean vegetation such as forests and shrubs or crops, even though they were the dominant ecosystems, accounting for 52.8% of the study area. Instead, suburban areas were selected, and the species was more abundant near its initial release point and in areas with orchards containing fruit trees and plants. Therefore, the study suggests that natural Mediterranean habitats and crops may act as ecological barriers to the expansion of this species, while suburban areas would increase their ability to expand. The study's findings should be considered in managing the red‐whiskered bulbul in Mediterranean areas.
This study examined the habitat preferences of the invasive red‐whiskered bulbul in eastern Spain during the winter of 2019–2020. It found that the species avoided natural Mediterranean vegetation and crops, instead favoring suburban areas, particularly those near its initial release point and orchards with fruit trees and plants. These findings suggest that Mediterranean habitats and crops may act as barriers to the species' expansion, while suburban areas facilitate its spread, highlighting the need for targeted management strategies in Mediterranean regions.
Reperfusion therapy led to an important decline in mortality after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Because the rate of cardiogenic shock has not changed dramatically, the authors ...speculated that a reduction in the incidence or fatality rate of mechanical complications (MCs), the second cause of death in these patients, could explain this decrease.
This study sought to assess time trends in the incidence, management, and fatality rates of MC, and its influence on short-term mortality in old patients with STEMI.
Trends in the incidence and outcomes of MC between 1988 and 2008 were analyzed by Mantel-Haenszel linear association test in 1,393 consecutive patients ≥75 years of age with first STEMI.
Overall in-hospital mortality decreased from 34.3% to 13.4% (relative risk reduction, 61%; p < 0.001). Although the absolute mortality due to MC decreased from 9.6% to 3.3% (p < 0.001), the proportion of deaths due to MC among all deaths did not change (28.1% to 24.5%; p = 0.53). The incidence of MC decreased from 11.1% to 4.3% (relative risk reduction 61%) with no change in their hospital fatality rate over time (from 87.1% to 82.4%; p = 0.66). The proportion of patients undergoing surgical repair decreased from 45.2% to 17.6% (p = 0.04), with no differences in post-operative survival (from 28.6% to 33.3%; p = 0.74).
Although the incidence of MC has decreased substantially since the initiation of reperfusion therapy in elderly STEMI patients, this reduction was proportional to other causes of death and was not accompanied by an improvement in fatality rates, with or without surgery. MCs are less frequent but remain catastrophic complications of STEMI in these patients.
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Delirium is a frequent complication in patients admitted to intensive cardiac care units (ICCU) with potentially severe consequences including increased risks of mortality, cognitive impairment and ...dependence at discharge, and longer times on mechanical ventilation and hospital stay. Delirium has been widely documented and studied in general intensive care units and in patients after cardiac surgery, but it has barely been studied in acute nonsurgical cardiac patients. Moreover, delirium (especially in its hypoactive form) is commonly misdiagnosed. We propose a protocol for delirium prevention and management in ICCUs.
A daily comprehensive assessment to improve detection should be done using validated scales (ie, confusion assessment method). Preventive measures are particularly relevance and constitute the basis of treatment as well, acting on reversible risk factors, including environmental interventions, such as quiet time, sleep promotion, family support, communication, and adequate treatment of pain and dyspnea. Pharmacological prophylaxis is not indicated with the exception of patients at risk of withdrawal syndrome but should only be used in patients with confirmed delirium. Dexmedetomidine is the drug of choice in patients with severe agitation, and those weaning from invasive mechanical ventilation.
As the complexity of ICCUs increases, clinical scenarios posing challenges for the management of delirium become more frequent. Efforts should be done to improve the identification of patients at risk during admission in order to establish preventive interventions to avoid this complication. Patient-centered protocols will increase the awareness of the healthcare professionals for better prevention and earlier diagnosis and will positively impact on prognosis.
To our knowledge, no randomized clinical trial has compared the invasive and conservative strategies in frail, older patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).
To ...compare outcomes of invasive and conservative strategies in frail, older patients with NSTEMI at 1 year.
This multicenter randomized clinical trial was conducted at 13 Spanish hospitals between July 7, 2017, and January 9, 2021, and included 167 older adult (≥70 years) patients with frailty (Clinical Frailty Scale score ≥4) and NSTEMI. Data analysis was performed from April 2022 to June 2022.
Patients were randomized to routine invasive (coronary angiography and revascularization if feasible; n = 84) or conservative (medical treatment with coronary angiography for recurrent ischemia; n = 83) strategy.
The primary end point was the number of days alive and out of the hospital (DAOH) from discharge to 1 year. The coprimary end point was the composite of cardiac death, reinfarction, or postdischarge revascularization.
The study was prematurely stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic when 95% of the calculated sample size had been enrolled. Among the 167 patients included, the mean (SD) age was 86 (5) years, and mean (SD) Clinical Frailty Scale score was 5 (1). While not statistically different, DAOH were about 1 month (28 days; 95% CI, -7 to 62) greater for patients managed conservatively (312 days; 95% CI, 289 to 335) vs patients managed invasively (284 days; 95% CI, 255 to 311; P = .12). A sensitivity analysis stratified by sex did not show differences. In addition, we found no differences in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 0.74-2.85; P = .28). There was a 28-day shorter survival in the invasive vs conservatively managed group (95% CI, -63 to 7 days; restricted mean survival time analysis). Noncardiac reasons accounted for 56% of the readmissions. There were no differences in the number of readmissions or days spent in the hospital after discharge between groups. Neither were there differences in the coprimary end point of ischemic cardiac events (subdistribution hazard ratio, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.54-1.57; P = .78).
In this randomized clinical trial of NSTEMI in frail older patients, there was no benefit to a routine invasive strategy in DAOH during the first year. Based on these findings, a policy of medical management and watchful observation is recommended for older patients with frailty and NSTEMI.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03208153.
Solid organ transplantation (SOT) implies immunosuppression and frequent health care contact. Our aim was to compare the characteristics of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) and SOT against ...those without SOT.
We used data from the Spanish Collaboration on Endocarditis during the period 2008-2018.
We identified 4794 cases of IE, 85 (1.8%) in SOT (56 kidney, 18 liver, 8 heart, 3 lung). Thirteen patients with other transplantation types (bone marrow, hematopoietic precursors, and cornea) were excluded from the analysis. Compared with patients without SOT, patients with SOT had lower median age (61 vs. 69 years, p<0.001), more comorbidities (mean age-adjusted Charlson index 5.7±2.9 vs. 4.9±2.9, p=0.004), a lower prevalence of native valvular heart disease (29.4 vs. 45.4%, p=0.003), more in-hospital and healthcare-related IE (70.5% vs. 36.3%, p<0.001) and staphylococcal etiology (57.7% vs. 39.7%, p=0.001). Patients with SOT had more frequent kidney function worsening (47.1% vs. 34.6%, p=0.02), septic shock (25.9% vs. 12.1 %, p<0.001), sepsis (27.1% vs. 17.2%, p=0.02), and less surgery indication (54.1% vs 66.3%, p=0.02) and surgery (32.9% vs. 46.3%, p=0.01) than patients without SOT. There were no significant differences in mortality: inhospital (30.6% SOT vs. 25.6% without SOT, p=0.31), 1-year (38.8% SOT vs. 31.9% without SOT, p=0.18).
Most IE in SOT recipients are nosocomial and over 70% are health care-related. Half have previously normal heart valves and almost 60% are due to Staphylococcus spp. infections. Mortality seems to be similar to non-SOT counterparts.
Resumen Introducción y objetivo El objetivo del presente estudio es describir los errores de medicación (EM) notificados en atención primaria analizando el ámbito, el daño y las causas, y orientando ...el análisis a las medidas para prevenir estos errores. Material y métodos Ámbito: Atención primaria. Servicio Madrileño de Salud. 2016. Diseño Estudio descriptivo transversal. Participantes Todas las notificaciones de EM realizadas desde los centros de salud en el sistema de notificación de incidentes de seguridad entre el 1 de enero y el 17 de noviembre de 2016 (n = 1.839). Mediciones principales Ámbito donde ocurrió el error, daño real, daño potencial y causa del error. Fueron clasificadas por un investigador. Se comprobó la concordancia con otro investigador. Resultados En el ámbito del centro de salud ocurrieron el 47% (IC95%: 44,8-49,3%) de los EM y en el entorno del paciente el 26,5% (IC95%: 24,5-28,6%). El 27,5% (IC95%: 24,1-30,8%) de los EM tenían potencialidad de daño grave. En el ámbito del centro de salud, la causa más frecuente fue la prescripción inadecuada: 27,4% (IC95%: 24,4-30,4%). En el entorno del paciente, la causa más frecuente fue el fallo en la comunicación profesional-paciente: 66% (IC95%: 61,8-70,2%), seguida por equivocaciones y despistes del paciente. Conclusiones La mitad de los errores de medicación notificados desde atención primaria tiene lugar en el centro de salud mientras que los EM del paciente son la cuarta parte. Uno de cada 4 es un error potencialmente grave. Las causas más importantes son la prescripción inadecuada (incluyendo indicación o dosis incorrecta, interacciones, contraindicaciones y alergias), los fallos en la comunicación profesional-paciente y los despistes en la autoadministración del paciente. Parece prioritario implantar sistemas de ayuda a la prescripción, prácticas seguras efectivas en comunicación profesional-paciente y ayudas que eviten los despistes en la autoadministración del paciente.
To identify the prevalence of
C. albicans
in primary endodontic infections of type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and compare their clinical and radiographical characteristics with a ...non-diabetic control group, establishing the possible relationship between primary endodontic infection, T2DM, and
C. albicans
, since diabetes mellitus (DM), influences the development, course, and response to the treatment of apical periodontitis, but the presence of
Candida albicans
(
C. albicans
) has not been considered before. A total of 120 patients were selected and divided into two groups: 60 T2DM diagnosed patients and 60 non-diabetic controls. A clinical examination and radiographic analysis were performed to establish a periapical index score (PAI). Root canal samples were taken. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted, and specific primers were used to identify
C. albicans
by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
.
A twofold increase in the prevalence of
C. albicans
in T2DM patients was observed in contrast to control patients (
p
= 0.0251). Sixty-five percent of T2DM patients with positive
C. albicans
scored a ≥ 3 PAI, while only 27% of the patients without
C. albicans
had a ≥ 3 PAI score (
p
= 0.0065). Long-term DM patients presented
C. albicans
more frequently (
p
< 0.0001). In this study, long-term T2DM patients carried
C. albicans
in their root canals more frequently when having a primary endodontic infection. Furthermore, this
C. albicans
presence seems to be related to a higher frequency of apical periodontitis.
Aim of this study is to determine the setting, causes, and the harm of medication errors (ME) which are notified by Primary Health Care.
Setting: Primary Care Regional Health Service of Madrid. 2016.
...Descriptive and cross-sectional study.
All ME (1,839) which were notified by Primary Care Centres by notification system of safety incidents between January 1st 2016 and November 17th 2016.
Setting, real harm, potential harm, and cause of error. These items were classified by one researcher. Concordance was checked with another researcher.
Just under half (47%) (95% CI: 44.8%-49.3%) of ME occurred in Primary Care Centre, 26.5% (95% CI: 24.5%-28.6%) of ME were patient medication errors, and 27.5% (95% CI: 24.1%-30.8%) of ME were potential severe harm errors. Prescribing errors were the cause of most ME in Primary Care Centre 27.4% (95% CI: 24.4%-30.4%). Communication between patients and doctors were the cause of most patient medication errors 66% (95% CI: 61.8%-70.2%). Patient mistakes and forgetfulness were also causes of patient medication errors.
Half of all mediation errors hppened at Primary Care Center while one quarter of them were patient medication errors. One quarter of all ME were potential severe harm errors. The main causes were prescribing errors, failure of communication between patients and doctors, and patient mistakes and forgetfulness. Prescribing aid systems, communication improvements and patients aids should be implemented.
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