RESUMO

Introducción: El manejo de los síntomas refractarios con dexmetomidina (DXM) es una alternativa en pacientes oncológicos en la atención al final de la vida (AFV) lo que puede convertirse en un gran desafío, ante la necesidad de iniciar sedación paliativa. El objetivo del presente estudio es determinar el efecto de la DXM comparado con el midazolam (MDZ) en el control de síntomas refractarios en pacientes con cáncer avanzado AFV, como parte de una estrategia asistencial de sedación paliativa. Metodología: Estudio observacional, longitudinal, se revisaron los informes médicos en las historias clínicas de pacientes hospitalizados con diagnóstico de cáncer avanzado terminal y síntomas refractarios (dolor, disnea y delirio), que recibieron sedación paliativa con DXM o MDZ. Se utilizaron los registros de Escala de Evaluación de Síntomas de Edmonton - revisada (ESAS-r) para intensidad de síntomas y la Escala de Sedación/Agitación de Richmond (RASS) para respuesta a la sedación. Resultados: Un total de 35 pacientes recibieron DXM y 18 MDZ. El dolor (32 %) y delirio (30 %) fueron los síntomas refractarios más identificados. Dolor intenso en 89.3 % antes del inicio de DXM. A las 72 horas, el grupo DXM presentó disminución de la intensidad del delirio a leve y moderado, mientras que la mayoría de los pacientes del grupo MDZ fallecieron antes de las 72 horas. Conclusiones: El uso clínico de la DXM permite un enfoque multimodal, ampliando su utilidad en la atención al final de la vida para el manejo del dolor y delirio, ya que permite un estado de respuesta para la interacción con los miembros de la familia, función relevante en cuidados paliativos.

Introduction: Managing refractory symptoms with dexmedetomidine (DXM) is an alternative for cancer patients in end-of-life care (EOLC), which can become a great challenge, given the need to start palliative sedation. This study aims to determine the effect of DXM compared to midazolam (MDZ) in controlling refractory symptoms in patients with advanced EOLC cancer as part of a palliative sedation care strategy. Methodology: In this observational, longitudinal study, the medical reports in the medical records of hospitalized patients diagnosed with terminal advanced cancer and refractory symptoms (pain, dyspnea, and delirium) who received palliative sedation with DXM or MDZ were reviewed. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale-revised (ESAS-r) scores for symptom intensity and the Richmond Sedation/Agitation Scale (RASS) for response to sedation were used. Results: A total of 35 patients received DXM, and 18 received MDZ. Pain (32%) and delirium (30%) were the most identified refractory symptoms. Intense pain in 89.3% before DXM started; at 72 hours in 64.3%, the pain was reported as mild. Delirium was severe in 77.7%, DXM was used in 59.3%, and MDZ was used in 40.7%. At 72 hours, the DXM group presented a decrease in delirium intensity to mild and moderate, while most of the patients in the MDZ group died before 72 hours. Conclusions: The clinical use of DXM allows a multimodal approach, expanding its usefulness in end-of-life care for managing pain and delirium since it provides a state of response for interaction with family members, a function relevant in palliative care.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Introducción: Los pacientes con cáncer presentan dolor en un 40% y el 38% de ellos lo califica como moderado a intenso. Casi el 85% de los pacientes con dolor por cáncer pueden lograr un buen control con medicamentos orales convencionales. Caso clínico: masculino de 57 años con triple neoplasia maligna primaria metacrónica asociada a tres tipos de dolor con incremento progresivo de la intensidad y requerimiento de varias líneas de tratamiento analgésico opioide. Conclusión: Las neoplasias malignas primarias triples son infrecuentes y están asociadas a dolor complejo, siendo los opioides la opción terapéutica más adecuada.

Introduction: Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with real or potential tissue damage, which treatment is more difficult in patients with multiple and advanced cancer, influencing their functionality, mood, sleep, and quality of life. Clinical case: 57-year-old male with metachronous triple primary malignancy associated with three types of pain with a progressive increase in intensity and requiring several lines of opioid analgesic treatment. Conclusion: Triple primary malignancies are uncommon and primarily associated with complex pain; opioids are the most appropriate therapeutic option.

Assuntos

RESUMO

One principal purpose of assisted reproductive technology (ART) is to produce viable and good quality embryos. However, a variety of environmental factors may induce epigenetic changes in the embryo. Moreover, laboratory conditions including the culture media may also affect embryo development. Therefore, media change is an important factor in maintaining proper oxidant/antioxidant balance during embryo culture. Alterations in the oxidant/antioxidant balance are related to various cellular responses such as an increase in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and consequent lipid peroxidation (LPO), DNA damage, and apoptosis. The current study focuses on the role of external factors on embryo culture and the ability of antioxidants to enhance in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. Indeed, an optimization of media culture by the addition of enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants in animal models and human embryos in ART has been updated in this study, with an emphasis on comparing the available results and their possible reasons.

Assuntos

RESUMO

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a main concern over the last two years and has become one of the most important crises in the history of human health. Today, there is still a need for affordable and reliable diagnostic tests for massive disease monitoring. Previously, a set of highly specific DNA-aptamers (C7/C9) binding to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein were isolated but its performance in clinical samples remained to be tested. Here, 242 samples were collected through three different methods and subjected to florescence-linked aptamer assays (FLAA) based on C7/C9 aptamers through two readout protocols. Then, a step-by-step statistical approach which included agreement tests, proportion comparisons and binomial and multinomial logistic regressions was used to predict optimal conditions for the novel C7/C9 FLAA test. RTqPCR threshold cycles, symptoms onset and processing time were influential factors on FLAA test results. Naturally occurring mutations on S were also detected and analyzed. Aminoacidic substitutions D614G and T732A appeared relevant for aptamer recognition although further studies are necessary. The methodology presented here is the first step to determine the performance and diagnosis across a range of clinical contexts and it might serve as a base for a complete analysis applicable to other designs of new diagnostic tests.

RESUMO

Perspectiva de los cuidados paliativos Los cuidados paliativos (CP) o medicina paliativa, especialidad nueva y creciente con un papel muy definido e importante; ha cosechado algunos éxitos, pero tiene que responder satisfactoriamente a nuevos retos para sobrevivir, prosperar y lograr convertirse en una aliada de la medicina curativa y poder interactuar al mismo tiempo para mejorar la atención a los pacientes y familia que se enfrentan a enfermedades complejas como el cáncer. Actualmente es mucho lo que se sabe sobre CP, pero este conocimiento no está beneficiando a las personas que lo necesitan debido al escás formación académica. Para que los CP se incorporen a un sistema de salud es necesario establecer cuatro componentes fundamentales (Figura 1). 1. Políticas. - Establecer políticas que integren los CP en el plan de salud nacional. 2. Disponibilidad de fármacos. - Mejorar la disponibilidad y acceso a los opioides que permita aumentar el cupo de opioides de la Junta Internacional de Fiscalización de Estupefacientes (JIFE) del país. 3. Educación. Convencer al público, comunidad, profesionales sanitarios, y a los políticos, incluir los programas de CP en pregrado y posgrado. 4. Implementación. Crear nuevos puestos de CP a dedicación completa, y dotar de la infraestructura para centros de referencia de excelencia, incluyendo cuidado domicilia-rio que se vayan replicando. Todo esto permitirá hacer una estimación de la necesidad para el adecuado desarrollo de los CP.

Palliative care (PC) or palliative medicine is a new and growing specialty with a very defined and essential role; It has had some successes, but it has to successfully respond to new challenges to survive, prosper and become an ally of curative medicine and to be able to interact at the same time to improve care for patients and families facing complex diseases such as cancer. Currently, much is known about PC, but this knowledge is not benefiting the people who need it due to little or no academic training. For PCs to be incorporated into a health system, it is necessary to establish four fundamental components: 1. Policies. - Establish policies that integrate PC into the national health plan. 2. Drug availability. - Improve the availability and access to opioids to increase the opioid quota of the country's International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). 3. Education. Convince the public, community, health professionals, and politicians to include PC programs in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. 4. Implementation. Create new full-time PC positions, and provide the infrastructure for reference centers of excellence, including home care that will be replicated. All of this will allow estimating the need for the proper development of PC. This editorial aims to publicize PC development in Ecuador from informality to postgraduate medical specialty.

Assuntos

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Tracheal stenosis (TS) is a complication of prolonged intubation, tracheotomy, and tracheal surgery that compromises the vascular supply. Animal models are essential for studying its pathophysiology and the effect of interventions. OBJECTIVE: To establish a TS model in rats secondary to tracheal autotransplantation with a graft submerged in bleomycin (Atx-Bleo). Additionally, to evaluate the clinical and histological changes, as well as the expression of newly formed collagen (NFC), isoforms of transforming growth factor beta (TGFß), fibronectin (FN), elastin (ELN), integrin ß1 (ITGß1), and matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1) in TS. METHODS: Twenty Wistar rats were divided into three groups: group I (n = 20) control; group II (n = 10) end-to-end anastomosis of the trachea (tracheoplasty); and group III (n = 10) Atx-Bleo. The animals were evaluated clinically, tomographically, macroscopically, morphometrically, and microscopically. NFC deposition, and the expression of profibrotic and antifibrotic proteins were evaluated in tracheal scars. RESULTS: All animals survived the surgical procedure and the study period. Compared with the other study groups, the Atx-Bleo group developed TS and fibrosis, exhibited higher expression of NFC, TGFß1, TGFß2, FN, ELN, and ITGß1, and mild expression of TGFß3 and MMP1 (p < 0.005; analysis of variance, Dunnett and Tukey tests). CONCLUSION: Atx-Bleo in TS model rats produces tomographic and histological changes, and induces the upregulation of profibrotic proteins (TGFß1, TGFß2, collagen, FN, ELN, ITGß1) and downregulation of antifibrotic proteins (TGFß3, MMP1). Therefore, this model may be used to test new pharmacological treatments for reversing or preventing TS, and conduct basic studies regarding its pathophysiology.

Assuntos

RESUMO

The hippocampus plays an important role in learning and memory, requiring high-neuronal oxygenation. Understanding the relationship between blood flow and vascular structure-and how it changes with ageing-is physiologically and anatomically relevant. Ultrafast Doppler ([Formula: see text]Doppler) and scanning laser confocal microscopy (SLCM) are powerful imaging modalities that can measure in vivo cerebral blood volume (CBV) and post mortem vascular structure, respectively. Here, we apply both imaging modalities to a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of hippocampi vasculature in wild-type mice brains. We introduce a segmentation of CBV distribution obtained from [Formula: see text]Doppler and show that this mice-independent and mesoscopic measurement is correlated with vessel volume fraction (VVF) distribution obtained from SLCM-e.g., high CBV relates to specific vessel locations with large VVF. Moreover, we find significant changes in CBV distribution and vasculature due to ageing (5 vs. 21 month-old mice), highlighting the sensitivity of our approach. Overall, we are able to associate CBV with vascular structure-and track its longitudinal changes-at the artery-vein, venules, arteriole, and capillary levels. We believe that this combined approach can be a powerful tool for studying other acute (e.g., brain injuries), progressive (e.g., neurodegeneration) or induced pathological changes.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Lung transplantation requires optimization of donor's organ use through ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) to avoid primary graft dysfunction. Biomarkers can aid in organ selection by providing early evidence of suboptimal lungs during EVLP and thus avoid high-risk transplantations. However, predictive biomarkers of pulmonary graft function such as endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have not been described under EVLP with standard prolonged hypothermic preservation, which are relevant in situations where lung procurement is difficult or far from the transplantation site. Therefore, this study is aimed at quantifying ECE-1 and VEGF, as well as determining their association with hemodynamic, gasometric, and mechanical ventilatory parameters in a swine model of EVLP with standard prolonged hypothermic preservation. Using a protocol with either immediate (I-) or delayed (D-) initiation of EVLP, ECE-1 levels over time were found to remain constant in both study groups (p > 0.05 RM-ANOVA), while the VEGF protein was higher after prolonged preservation, but it decreased throughout EVLP (p > 0.05 RM-ANOVA). Likewise, hemodynamic, gasometric, mechanical ventilatory, and histological parameters had a tendency to better results after 12 hours of hypothermic preservation in the delayed infusion group.

Assuntos

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 outbreak has been associated with a wide variety of psychiatric manifestations such as panic, anxiety, and depression. We aim to assess the impact of the COVID - 19 pandemic on the levels of stress and depression of pregnant women in Mexico. METHODS: A cross-sectional web survey was carried out in pregnant women in 10 states of the Mexican Republic during the COVID-19 pandemic among public and private hospitals. The perception of stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale, while depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. RESULTS: A total of 549 surveys were applied, of which 96.1% (n = 503) were included in the data analysis. The mean participant's age was 28.1 years old. The mean perceived stress scale score was 24. 33.2% (n = 167) of participants had a score equal to 27 points or more and were considered highly stressed. The mean depression score was 9. A total of 17.5% (n = 88) participants had more than 14 points on the Edinburgh's depression scale, and were considered depressed. Stress levels were higher at later gestational ages (p = .008). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 pandemic has caused mental health issues in pregnant women reflected by high perceived stress levels and depression.

Assuntos