Neruda y la resistencia a los antibióticos / Neruda and antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance has been a problem in medicine, since their incorporation to clinical practice. Numerous papers have been written on the subject. The analysis of two poems by Pablo Neruda "How much does a man live" and "Larynx", included in the volume "Estravagario" and published for the first time in 1957 and 1958, give us an incredible revelation about the concept of resistance. In these poems aureomycin, the first antimicrobial of the family of tetracycline’s, was included as a poetic figure and the therapeutic action of antimicrobials was described. "Never so much bugs died I tons of them fell I but the few that remained olive I manifested their perversity". These writings incorporated novel concepts, even for physicians of that time and described the closeness of death that a patient may perceive during the course of a given disease. The capacity of Pablo Neruda to extract the essence of situations and to anticipate to conditions that only years later became clinically relevant problems, is noteworthy.

Diabetes y hemodiálisis. Caracterización de una cohorte y seguimiento a cuatro años / Assessment and follow up of diabetic patients in hemodialysis

Background: Despite a better management of the variables that influence the development of diabetic nephropathy there is a progressive increase in the prevalence of terminal renal failure among diabetics, whose cause is not clear. Aim: To study in a group of patients in hemodialysis, the quality of diabetes control previous to the entry to dialysis, their physical condition and their evolution. Material and methods: Diabetic patients with at least three months of hemodialysis answered a questionnaire about diabetes control quality previous to dialysis and had physical and laboratory assessment. They were followed for at least four years thereafter. Results: Fifty seven patients aged 62±11 years were studied. Eighty four percent had some degree of disability. Eighty seven percent had high blood pressure and 73 percent had to enter dialysis as an emergency. Mean glycosilated hemoglobin was 7.7 percent and 58 percent had a dialysis dose with a Kt/Vofless than 1.2. Fifty eight percent died during follow up. No relationship between mortality and age, blood pressure, glycosilated hemoglobin of Kt/V, was observed. Conclusions: There is an inadequate management of blood glucose and blood pressure of diabetic patients before entry to dialysis. They are referred ¡ate to the nephrologist, the dialysis dose is insufficient and they have a high mortality.