Consenso Mexicano para el Tratamiento de la Hepatitis C

The aim of the Mexican Consensus on the Treatment of Hepatitis C was to develop clinical practice guidelines applicable to Mexico. The expert opinion of specialists in the following areas was taken into account: gastroenterology, infectious diseases, and hepatology. A search of the medical literature was carried out on the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases through keywords related to hepatitis C treatment. The quality of evidence was subsequently evaluated using the GRADE system and the consensus statements were formulated. The statements were then voted upon, using the modified Delphi system, and reviewed and corrected by a panel of 34 voting participants. Finally, the level of agreement was classified for each statement. The present guidelines provide recommendations with an emphasis on the new direct-acting antivirals, to facilitate their use in clinical practice. Each case must be individualized according to the comorbidities involved and patient management must always be multidisciplinary.     

Use of point-of-care tests and antibiotic prescribing in sore throat and lower respiratory infections by general practitioners

IntroductionThis study was aimed at assessing general practitioners’ (GP) reliance on patient history, examination findings and the influence of the utilisation of point-of-care tests (POCT) in antibiotic prescribing for sore throat and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI).MethodsAudit-based study carried out in 2015. A group of GPs received an intervention six years earlier with provision of POCTs and another group of GPs acted as controls. Odds ratios for clinical variables predicting antibiotic prescribing were calculated by logistic regression analyses.ResultsA total of 238 GPs included 1906 patients with sore throat and 1970 LRTIs. A negative POCT result was negatively associated with antibiotic prescribing, with odds ratios ranging from 0.09 to 0.23. GPs using POCTs attached less weight to clinical criteria.ConclusionGPs using rapid tests are mainly influenced by POCT results in the decision to prescribe antibiotics. However, antibiotic prescribing is still observed with negative POCT results.     

Lesiones detectadas en el programa de cribado de cáncer colorrectal en el País Vasco: primera ronda 2009-2011

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major public health problem due to its incidence and mortality. In May 2008, the Basque Country approved the implementation of a population-based colorectal cancer screening program, using the immunochemical fecal occult blood test (FOBT), in persons aged 50-69 years. Patients with a positive result were invited to undergo colonoscopy with sedation.     

Biopsia mamaria asistida por vacío y guiada por estereotaxia. Correlación con la biopsia quirúrgica

Objective

To evaluate the efficiency of stereotactic vacuum-assisted core breast biopsy as an alternative to diagnostic surgical biopsy.

Material and methods

A retrospective study based on 250 stereotactic vacuum-assisted percutaneous biopsies was conducted from March 2006 to August 2010. The false-negative rate and underestimation of disease at percutaneous biopsy were determined in comparison with diagnostic surgical biopsy.

Results

The false-negative rate was 2% (1/63) and the positive predictive value was 100%. Surgical excision revealed carcinoma in 30% (3/10) of the patients with atypical ductal hyperplasia at core biopsy and in 33.3% (2/6) of those with lobular carcinoma in situ. Among 40 lesions diagnosed as ductal carcinoma in situ at vacuum-assisted biopsy, surgery revealed invasive carcinoma in four (10%).

Conclusions

Stereotactic core breast biopsy can be considered a valid alternative to diagnostic surgical biopsy, although diagnostic underestimation still occurs.     

Nuevos modelos predictivos de bacteriemia en el servicio de urgencias: un paso adelante

La atención de pacientes con sospecha de un proceso infeccioso en los servicios de urgencias hospitalarios(SUH) se ha incrementado en la última década hasta suponer alrededor del 15-20% de todas las atenciones diarias. En la valoración inicial de estos enfermos se toman muestras para los distintos estudios microbiológicos en un 45% de los casos, donde predomina la obtención de hemocultivos (HC), en el 14,6% de todos ellos. La rentabilidad diagnóstica de estos HC es muy variable (2-20%). Los focos o procesos infecciosos más frecuentes sospechados o confirmados de las bacteriemias verdaderas(BV) en los SUH son la infección del tracto urinario (45%) y la infección respiratoria (25%). Por todo ello, la sospecha y confirmación de la BV tiene un relevante significado diagnóstico, pronóstico y obliga a cambiar algunas de las decisiones más importantes a tomar en el SUH. Entre otras, indicar el alta o ingreso, extraer HC y administrar el antimicrobiano adecuado y precoz. La intención de esta revisión es poner de manifiesto las evidencias científicas publicadas en los últimos cinco años, aclarar las controversias existentes actuales y comparar la capacidad para predecir bacteriemia de los últimos modelos predictivos publicados desde el año 2017 con los ya existentes en esa fecha, año en el que se publicó una revisión que dejaba abierta la propuesta de seguir buscando un modelo con un rendimiento adecuado para los SUH. Y así, a partir de ella, generar distintas recomendaciones que ayuden a definir el papel que pueden tener estos modelos o escalas en la mejora de la indicación de obtención de los HC, así como en la toma inmediata de otras decisiones diagnóstico-terapéuticas (administración precoz y adecuada del tratamiento antibiótico, solicitud de estudios complementarios y otras muestras microbiológicas, intensidad del soporte hemodinámico, necesidad de ingreso, etc.)     

Valoración de anticuerpos con reactividad cruzada patógeno-huésped en pacientes con diferentes estadios de cardiopatía chagásica crónica

Introduction and objectives

Trypanosoma cruzi infection has been shown to induce humoral autoimmune responses against host antigens tissues. Particularly, antibodies cross-reacting with myocardial antigens may play a role in the development of the severe forms of chronic Chagas disease. The aim of this study was to determine the association between clinical stage of the disease and the presence of autoantibodies in patients with chronic Chagasic disease.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study in T. cruzi-seropositive patients divided into 3 groups according to the classic classification of chronic Chagas heart of Storino et al. All participants underwent complete clinical examination and their sera were used to measure autoantibody levels.

Results

All patients had detectable levels of anti-p2β and anti-B13 autoantibodies but none had anti-Na-K-ATPase antibodies. No association was observed between electrocardiographic conduction disturbances and autoantibody levels. Patients with chronic Chagas disease stage III had the highest levels of anti-B13 antibodies and a high risk of mortality score, showing a clear association between disease stage and this score.

Conclusions

Anti-B13 antibodies were significantly higher in chronic Chagas disease stage III patients, suggesting that these antibodies may be involved in disease progression and that they might be a useful marker of poor prognosis in terms of heart compromise. Our results also reveal an important correlation between the level of anti-B13 autoantibodies and symptomatic heart failure and/or dilated cardiomyopathy.Full English text available from:www.revespcardiol.org/en     

Virological response to adefovir dipivoxil predicts the long-term development of resistance in previously untreated patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B

Background and objective

Adefovir dipivoxil monotherapy in lamivudine-resistant patients is associated with more frequent development of resistance than in naïve patients. The virological response during treatment predicts the risk of developing resistance. The aims of this study were to assess the efficacy of adefovir dipivoxil treatment in naïve and lamivudine-resistant patients and to determine whether virological response predicts the development of adefovir resistance.

Patients and method

This study included 82 patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who received adefovir dipivoxil therapy. During active treatment, HBV-DNA values were determined by polymerase chain reaction; in addition, the presence of adefovir resistance-associated mutations was studied in cases of virological breakthrough.

Results

Virological response at 12 and 24 months was 59% and 73% in naive patients compared with 40% and 67% in lamivudine-resistant patients, whereas virological breakthrough at 24 months was 9.5% in naïve patients compared with 20% in lamivudine-resistant patients. A small percentage (4%) of patients with virological response at 12 months showed virological breakthrough between 12 and 40 months versus 29.4% of patients without virological response (P = .03). In lamivudine-resistant patients, virological response at 12 months was not a predictive factor for the development of virological breakthrough.

Conclusions

Adefovir dipivoxil monotherapy in lamivudine-resistant patients is associated with an increased tendency to develop virological breakthrough, which cannot be predicted by virological response at 12 months of treatment. In naive patients, an undetectable viral load at 12 months of treatment ensures the absence of virological breakthrough at 40 months of treatment.     

Retículo pigmentado negativo en un nevus melanocítico en crecimiento

A pigmented lesion with focal growth was detected during follow-up of a patient with multiple melanocytic nevi. Dermoscopy examination revealed a slightly blue zone as well as a zone with negative pigment network in the growing area. A possible diagnosis of early melanoma was considered. Histopathology revealed a compound nevus with architectural atypia but without cytologic atypia in the growing area.     

Análisis de resultados «falsos negativos» para trisomía 21 en los programas de cribado combinado de primer trimestre: una herramienta para la mejora de la calidad

Introduction

Analysis of false negatives (FN) detected in Prenatal Screening Programme for trisomy 21 (T21) by First Trimester Combined Screening (CC1°T) could be a tool to help improve the final results and the overall quality of these programmes. The objective is to evaluate the characteristics of the FN cases for T21 and compare them with the true positives (TP).