Cribado e intervención breve en consumo de alcohol

La morbilidad asociada al consumo de alcohol incluye patología digestiva, psiquiátrica, neurológica, infecciosa, cáncer de diversos tipos, enfermedades cardiovasculares, lesiones intencionales, no intencionales, patología social y problemas familiares. Las evidencias más recientes no indican que el consumo «moderado» sea beneficioso para la salud. Por lo tanto, debe enfatizarse más bien la idea de evitar los consumos de riego y transmitir a los pacientes que lo más beneficioso para la salud sería no consumir alcohol o hacerlo en dosis de bajo riesgo. El instrumento más adecuado de cribado es el AUDIT-C. Las bases de la intervención breve consisten en estrategias cognitivo-conductuales y motivacionales. Hay que dar una información positiva sobre los beneficios de la moderación e informar sobre el peligro de la ingesta de alcohol. En fases precoces de la dependencia se contempla la oferta de tratamiento farmacológico de desintoxicación, deshabituación y seguimiento. Los casos más graves requieren coordinación con los servicios de adicciones. En España se ha podido comprobar que la intervención breve es efectiva y que disminuye el consumo 100 gramos de alcohol a la semana. Las estrategias comunitarias son el marco normativo adecuado para lograr los mejores resultados de la intervención breve. Estas deberán ir encaminadas a reducir la oferta y la disponibilidad para el consumo, mediante la adopción de medidas legislativas, de manera que se limite tanto la accesibilidad económica como la física. Por otra parte, habrá que implementar medidas para disminuir la demanda del alcohol mediante la educación para la salud a determinados grupos de riesgo.Palabras clave: Alcohol, Intervención breve, Prevención, Atención Primaria     

L’école Franco-Brésilienne de néphrologie

The recent history of French and Brazilian medicine goes back to the first decades of the xixth century. As regards nephrology, the first links were established starting in the 1950s of the xxth century. Over the past 60 years, the scientific production of the Franco-Brazilian school of nephrology totalized more than a thousand scientific papers and created a new generation of more than two hundred disciples, formed in Brazil by nephrologists who had completed their studies in France. In this article, we would like to memorize the successive exchanges between French and Brazilian physicians, mainly in the field of nephrology.     

Vancomycin serum concentrations in pediatric oncologic/hematologic intensive care patients

BackgroundUsual treatment regimens with vancomycin often fail to provide adequate serum levels in patients with severe infections.MethodsRetrospective analysis of vancomycin trough serum measurements. The following parameters were calculated by Bayesian analysis: vancomycin clearance, distribution volume, and peak estimated concentrations. The area under the concentration curve (AUC) (total daily dose/24 h clearance of vancomycin) was used to determine the effectiveness of treatment through the ratio of AUC/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) above 400, using MIC = 1 μg/mL, based on isolates of Staphylococci in cultures.ResultsSixty-one vancomycin trough measurements were analyzed in 31 patients. AUC/MIC > 400 was obtained in 34 out of 61 dosages (55.7%), but the mean vancomycin dose required to achieve these levels was 81 mg/kg/day. In cases where the usual doses were administered (40–60 mg/kg/day), AUC/MIC > 400 was obtained in nine out of 18 dosages (50%), in 13 patients. Trough serum concentrations above 15 mg/L presented a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 71% for AUC/MIC > 400.ConclusionHigher than usual vancomycin doses may be required to treat staphylococcal infections in children with oncologic/hematologic diseases. Since the best known predictor of efficacy is the AUC/MIC ratio, serum trough concentrations must be analyzed in conjunction with MICs of prevalent Staphylococci and pharmacokinetic tools such as Bayesian analysis.     

Influence of visual feedback sampling on obstacle crossing behavior in people with Parkinson's disease

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the role of visual information on gait control in people with Parkinson's disease as they crossed over obstacles. Twelve healthy individuals, and 12 patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease, walked at their preferred speeds along a walkway and stepped over obstacles of varying heights (ankle height or half-knee height), under three visual sampling conditions: dynamic (normal lighting), static (static visual samples, similar to stroboscopic lighting), and voluntary visual sampling. Subjects wore liquid crystal glasses for visual manipulation. In the static visual sampling condition only, the patients with Parkinson's disease made contact with the obstacle more often than did the control subjects. In the successful trials, the patients increased their crossing step width in the static visual sampling condition as compared to the dynamic and voluntary visual sampling conditions; the control group maintained the same step width for all visual sampling conditions. The patients showed lower horizontal mean velocity values during obstacle crossing than did the controls. The patients with Parkinson's disease were more dependent on optic flow information for successful task and postural stability than were the control subjects. Bradykinesia influenced obstacle crossing in the patients with Parkinson's disease.