Pulmonary embolism and hematologic outcome in cancer patients initiating chemotherapy.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between chemotherapy use and the frequency of pulmonary embolism (PE) and associated mortality, clinical, and biochemical parameters. An additional aim was to analyze computed tomography pulmonary angiography findings. Materials and Methods: The study population comprised 65 of 368 consecutive patients diagnosed with PE who underwent chemotherapy in the Medical Oncology Department. The study population had cancer of various origins, including breast, colorectal, lung, gynecological, gastric and pancreatic, lymphatic, and other sites. The patients' clinical records were reviewed for leukocyte and platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, and level of mortality. As the parameters were normally distributed, the correlation coefficients and their significance were calculated using Pearson's test. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the leukocyte counts among the cancer groups. A t-test was used to compare the means of the platelet and leukocyte counts between the patients. A Chi-square test was used to compare binary outcomes for categorical variables. Patients who died in the 1 st year and others (survivors and patients who died after the 1 st year) were compared using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results: When the patients who died in the 1 st year and the survivors were compared, there was a statistically significant difference in the platelet count between the two groups. The platelet count, MPV, and leukocyte count of the patients with PE were significantly high. The leukocyte count was also significantly high in patients with breast, colorectal, lung, and gynecological cancers. Conclusion: Our results indicate that in cancer patients with PE who undergo chemotherapy, the platelet count, MPV, and leukocyte count are significantly high.

Conocimientos y actitudes acerca del SIDA y conducta sexual de escolares y universitarios de las principales ciudades urbanas del país / Knowledge and attitudes about AIDS and sexual behaviour of school and university students of the principal urban cities of the country

Se aplicó una encuesta a nivel nacional a 4.522 alumnos y a 334 profesores. Los resultados son extrapolables a los jóvenes mayores de 15 años, que habitan en los grandes centros urbanos del país. La población que habita en zonas rurales tendría una tendencia más tradicional y conservadora en términos de actitudes y conductas. Lo anterior implica que los resultados son extrapolables a 330.000 jóvenes, aproximadamente. Existe un buen conocimiento teórico, que se invalida por creencias erróneas, como creer que el Sida no se contagia si se mantienen relaciones dentro del mismo grupo social, que se evita con un aseo genital postcoital o consultando por la conducta sexual previa de la pareja. El 44,2 por ciento de los alumnos encuestado se encuentra sexualmente activo. El 32,6 por ciento de los hombres y el 10,8 por ciento de las mujeres, sexualmente activos, mantiene relaciones sexuales al margen de su pareja estable. El 72,9 por ciento considera que no hay ninguna posibilidad que se contagie de Sida o ésta es muy baja. Las creencias erróneas, el alto nivel de actividad sexual, la precocidad en el inicio de las relaciones sexuales, la actividad sexual con prostitutas y promiscuidad en los encuestados, junto con la generalizada y falsa percepción que no hay posibilidades que se contagien, confirma que nuestra juventud se encuentra en muy alto riesgo de contraer el virus del Sida y se requiere de una toma de conciencia nacional y de una política gubernamental que dé solución global urgente a este problema