Medications and traffic accidents involving older drivers: do Spanish primary healthcare physicians know enough?

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to evaluate Spanish family doctors' knowledge about medications that increase the risk of traffic accidents involving older drivers, and to obtain data about the involvement of family doctors in accident prevention activities and the associations between these factors and their demographic and workplace characteristics. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 1888 family doctors throughout Spain was carried out from 2016 to 2018. Participants completed a previously validated self-administered questionnaire that explored whether family doctors distinguished between medications associated with a high or low risk of involvement in a traffic accident, investigated the appropriateness of advice given to older patients, and physicians' involvement in preventive activities. Multiple regression models were used to estimate the adjusted association of these variables with each other and with characteristics of family doctors in the sample. RESULTS: On a scale of 1 (never or hardly ever) to 4 (always), the indexes constructed to evaluate how often family doctors believed they should oversee the use of high-risk and low-risk medications yielded values of 3.38 for the former and 2.61 for the latter (p < 0.001). Only 24% responded correctly to all three items that inquired about the appropriateness of the advice they gave to older patients. On a scale of 1 to 4, the frequency at which family doctors gave older patients advice about preventive measures was 2.85, and only 43% reported allocating time during appointments to provide this advice. These latter two variables were directly associated with appropriate values for the index used to evaluate physicians' oversight of medications associated with a high risk. The perception of risk associated with medications and involvement in preventive activities were both greater among female participants. CONCLUSIONS: Family doctors correctly identified medications according to their risk of playing a role in traffic accidents, although the recommendations they gave to their patients were not always appropriate. These findings, along with physicians' infrequent involvement in preventive activities, suggest a need to improve family doctors' competencies and increase the resources available to them so that they can provide their older patients with advice on ways to prevent involvement in traffic accidents.

Management of an Unusual Metastasis of Cervical Cancer in the Adrenal Bed With Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiation Therapy.

Uterine cervical carcinoma is an important type of cancer among Ecuadorian women, especially in adult women. Survival rates have improved with the development of radiotherapy, surgical techniques, and chemotherapy. However, recurrence and/or metastasis are not unusual phenomena. Frequent sites of metastasis are the lungs, regional lymph nodes, and bones. Atypical locations can also occur on solid organs, such as adrenal glands. Treatment for the rare complication that is adrenal metastasis is individualized, it can include surgical resection, chemotherapy, local ablation, or different types of radiotherapy. We aimed to report a case of an Ecuadorian woman from Quito city with a diagnosis of cervical carcinoma diagnosed in 2009, treated surgically and with adjuvant chemotherapy. Her progression was monitored with medical controls with no recurrence until 2018, when she relapsed with a metastatic invasion of the pelvic ganglia and the surroundings of the abdominal aorta, with a histopathologic diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. She was then treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy until June 2019. In 2020, she went through a splenectomy and left adrenalectomy to treat vascular thrombosis. In 2021, 37 x 15 mm mass was discovered in the surgical bed of the previously removed adrenal gland. It was treated as an oligometastatic carcinoma with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) by a linear accelerator.

How many collateral casualties are associated with road users responsible for road crashes? / ¿Cuántas víctimas colaterales se asocian con los usuarios de la carretera responsables de los accidentes de tráfico?

Objective: To estimate the number of collateral casualties associated with road users considered responsible for a road crash. Method: We analyzed the case series comprising all 790,435 road users involved in road crashes with victims in Spain from 2009 to 2013, recorded in a nationwide police-based registry. For each road user assumed to be responsible for a crash, we collected information relative to health outcomes in other people involved in it, and obtained the total number of collateral casualties per 100 road users considered responsible for the crash. We then estimated the strength of associations between sex, age and the number of collateral casualties generated by car drivers considered responsible for the crash, and calculated rate ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Results: Pedestrians responsible for crashes were associated with the lowest number of collateral casualties (13.1/100), whereas the highest number (153/100) was observed for bus drivers responsible for crashes. Car drivers were associated with 104.4/100 collateral casualties. The youngest and the oldest car drivers responsible for crashes were associated with 33% and 41% more deaths, respectively, than the 25-34 year old group. Male drivers were associated with 22% more collateral casualties than female drivers. Conclusions: Regardless of the type of road user who was responsible for a road crash, their active contribution to the crash led to an additional number of collateral casualties in other, non-responsible users. The number and severity of collateral casualties were related to the type of vehicle and the number of people involved. These results are potentially useful to support the need to promote safer driver practices among subgroups of high-risk drivers. (AU)

Objetivo: Estimar el número de víctimas colaterales asociadas a los usuarios de las vías de tráfico responsables de una colisión. Método: Se estudió la serie de casos formada por los 790.435 usuarios de la vía implicados en accidentes de tráfico con víctimas en España, entre 2009 y 2013, recogidos en el Registro de Accidentes de Tráfico con Víctimas de la Dirección General de Tráfico. Para cada uno de los usuarios considerado responsable se recogió información sobre las consecuencias sanitarias para las otras personas implicadas en el mismo accidente, y se calculó el número total de víctimas colaterales por cada 100 usuarios responsables. A continuación se estimó la fuerza de asociación de la edad y el sexo de los conductores de turismo con el número de víctimas colaterales generadas por ellos, y se obtuvieron las correspondientes razones de tasas y sus intervalos de confianza del 95%. Resultados: Los peatones responsables de atropellos se asociaron al menor número de víctimas colaterales (13,1/100), mientras que la cifra más alta de estas (153/100) se asoció a los conductores de autobús responsables del accidente. Los de turismo implicaron a 104,4/100. Los conductores de turismo más jóvenes (<25 años) y los de mayor edad (>64 años) implicaron respectivamente un 33% y un 41% más de víctimas colaterales que el grupo de 25-34 años. Los varones se asociaron a un 22% más de víctimas colaterales que las mujeres. Conclusiones: Independientemente del tipo de usuario responsable del accidente, su contribución activa se asoció a un número adicional de víctimas colaterales, cuyas magnitud y gravedad dependieron sobre todo del tipo de vehículo conducido. Este trabajo puede ser útil para reforzar las actuaciones destinadas a prevenir la accidentalidad en los usuarios de alto riesgo. (AU)

Radioterapia hipofraccionada para cáncer de próstata localizado ¿Menos tiempo de tratamiento es mejor? / Hypofractionated radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer ¿Is less treatment time better?

Introducción: El hipofraccionamiento moderado (hRt) en cáncer de próstata, consisten en dismi-nuir el tiempo total de tratamiento con radioterapia, lo que mejora la adherencia terapéutica y opti-miza recursos tecnológicos. En cáncer de próstata, existe evidencia robusta con datos maduros a 5 años de seguimiento, donde se evidenció que hRtno es inferior al tratamiento con fraccionamiento estándar en control oncológico, con menor o igual toxicidad aguda y tardía. Se hace una revisión de la evidencia, dosis de tolerancia, contorneo de volúmenes objetivo (GTV-CTV-PTV) / órganos de ries-go, planificación y reproducibilidad del hRt en cáncer de próstata localizado.

Introduction: Moderate hypofractionation (hRt) in prostate cancer consists of reducing the total time of treatment with radiotherapy, which improves therapeutic adherence and optimizes technolog-ical resources. In prostate cancer, there is robust evidence with mature data at 5 years of follow-up, where it was evidenced that hRt is not inferior to treatment with standard fractionation in oncological control, with less or equal acute and late toxicity. A review of the evidence, tolerance dose, contouring of target volumes (GTV-CTV-PTV) / organs at risk, planning and reproducibility of hRt in localized prostate cancer is made.

How many collateral casualties are associated with road users responsible for road crashes?

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the number of collateral casualties associated with road users considered responsible for a road crash. METHOD: We analyzed the case series comprising all 790,435 road users involved in road crashes with victims in Spain from 2009 to 2013, recorded in a nationwide police-based registry. For each road user assumed to be responsible for a crash, we collected information relative to health outcomes in other people involved in it, and obtained the total number of collateral casualties per 100 road users considered responsible for the crash. We then estimated the strength of associations between sex, age and the number of collateral casualties generated by car drivers considered responsible for the crash, and calculated rate ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Pedestrians responsible for crashes were associated with the lowest number of collateral casualties (13.1/100), whereas the highest number (153/100) was observed for bus drivers responsible for crashes. Car drivers were associated with 104.4/100 collateral casualties. The youngest and the oldest car drivers responsible for crashes were associated with 33% and 41% more deaths, respectively, than the 25-34 year old group. Male drivers were associated with 22% more collateral casualties than female drivers. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of the type of road user who was responsible for a road crash, their active contribution to the crash led to an additional number of collateral casualties in other, non-responsible users. The number and severity of collateral casualties were related to the type of vehicle and the number of people involved. These results are potentially useful to support the need to promote safer driver practices among subgroups of high-risk drivers.

Agentes terapéuticos utilizados en 238 pacientes hospitalizados por COVID-19 y su relación con la mortalidad / Therapeutic agents tested in 238 COVID-19 hospitalized patients and their relationship with mortality

ANTECEDENTES Y OBJETIVO: En los últimos meses se han realizado grandes esfuerzos para evaluar las terapias más eficaces en el manejo de pacientes con COVID-19. Actualmente ninguna combinación ha demostrado de manera consistente una relación clara con la mortalidad. Nuestro objetivo fue valorar el patrón de asociaciones observado entre los distintos tratamientos intrahospitalarios administrados a 238 pacientes ingresados por COVID-19 y la mortalidad. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Se analizaron las historias clínicas electrónicas de aquellos pacientes dados de alta o que fallecieron por COVID-19 entre el 16 de marzo y el 10 de abril de 2020 en el Hospital Universitario San Cecilio (Granada, España). Se obtuvo información sobre sexo, edad, comorbilidades al ingreso, parámetros clínicos, analíticos, pruebas de imagen y tratamientos empíricos empleados. La variable de desenlace fue la mortalidad intrahospitalaria. Para estimar las asociaciones entre los diferentes tratamientos y el riesgo de mortalidad se estimaron, mediante modelos de regresión de Cox, hazard ratio ajustadas por edad, sexo, patologías previas y gravedad al ingreso. RESULTADOS: La combinación de fármacos más frecuentemente empleada fue la formada por heparina de bajo peso molecular (HBPM), hidroxicloroquina y ritonavir/lopinavir. Ninguno de los tratamientos utilizados mostró una asociación independiente con la mortalidad. Los fármacos que mostraron una asociación inversa de mayor magnitud fueron el tocilizumab y los corticoides. CONCLUSIONES: El patrón se asociaciones obtenido es consistente con lo reportado en la bibliografía. Parece oportuno diseñar ensayos aleatorizados que valoren el posible efecto protector de los corticoides y el tocilizumab sobre el riesgo de muerte en algunos subgrupos de pacientes hospitalizados por COVID-19

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the last months great efforts have been developed to evaluate the more efficient therapeutic agents in the management of patients with COVID-19. Currently, no specific drug combination has consistently demonstrated an association with mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of associations observed between the different in-hospital treatments administered to a series of 238 patients admitted for COVID-19 and their relationship with mortality. METHODS: The electronic medical records of patients that discharged or died from COVID-19 in the Hospital Universitario San Cecilio (Granada, Spain) between March 16 and April 10, 2020 were analysed. From these records, information was obtained on sex, age, comorbidities at admission, clinical information, analytical parameters, imaging tests and empirical treatments used. The outcome variable was the in-hospital mortality. To estimate the associations between the different therapeutic alternatives and the risk of mortality, hazard ratios adjusted for age, sex, previous pathologies and severity at discharge were estimated using Cox regression models. RESULTS: The most frequently used combination of drugs was low molecular weight heparins, hydroxychloroquine, and ritonavir/lopinavir. None of the analysed treatments showed independent association with mortality. The drugs that showed a greater inverse association with mortality were tocilizumab and corticoids. CONCLUSIONS: The observed association patterns are consistent with previous literature. It seems necessary to design randomized controlled clinical trials that evaluate the possible protector effect of tocilizumab and corticoids in the risk of mortality for some subgroups of COVID-19 hospitalized patients

[Reducing the impact of COVID-19 on radiation oncology units of developing countries: A rapid review and expert consensus]. / Reduciendo el impacto de COVID-19 sobre la radioterapia oncológica en países en desarrollo: revisión rápida y consenso de expertos.

OBJECTIVE: To generate recommendations on the management of radiotherapeutic treatments during the pandemic, adapted to a country with limited health resources. METHODS: We did a rapid review of the literature, searching for papers that describe any measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, as well as management guidelines to reduce the workload, in radiotherapy units. The following conditions were included in the scope of this review: gynecological tumors, breast cancer, gastrointestinal tumors, genitourinary tumors, head and neck tumors, skin cancer, tumors of the central nervous system, and lymphomas. An expert group discussed online the extracted data and drafted the recommendations. Using a modified Delphi method, the consensus was reached among 14 certificated radio-oncologists. The quality of the evidence that supported the recommendations on treatment schedules was assessed. RESULTS: A total of 57 documents were included. Of these, 25 provided strategies to reduce the risk of infection. Recommendations for each condiction were extracted from the remaining documents. The recommendations aim to establish specific parameters where treatments can be omitted, deferred, prioritized, and shortened. Treatment schemes are recommended for each condition, prioritizing hypo-fractionated schemes whenever possible. CONCLUSIONS: We propose strategies for the management of radiotherapy services to guarantee the continuity of high-quality treatments despite the health crisis caused by COVID-19.

OBJETIVO: Establecer recomendaciones para la toma de decisiones de manejo en radioterapia durante la pandemia de COVID-19, adaptadas a un país con recursos de salud limitados. MÉTODOS: A través de una revisión rápida de la literatura se buscaron publicaciones que describieran medidas para reducir el riesgo de infección por COVID-19, así como también pautas de manejo para reducir la carga de trabajo en las unidades de radioterapia. Se incluyeron en el alcance de esta revisión las siguientes patologías: tumores ginecológicos, cáncer de mama, tumores gastrointestinales, tumores genitourinarios, tumores de cabeza y cuello, cáncer de piel, tumores del sistema nervioso central y linfomas. Un grupo de expertos discutió en línea los datos extraídos y redactó las recomendaciones. Mediante un método Delphi modificado, se evaluó el consenso entre 14 radio-oncólogos certificados. Se evaluó la calidad de la evidencia que sustentó las recomendaciones sobre esquemas de tratamiento. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron un total de 57 documentos. De 25 trabajos se extrajeron las estrategias para reducir el riesgo de infección. De los restantes, se obtuvieron las recomendaciones para cada patología. Las recomendaciones están orientadas a establecer escenarios específicos donde se pueden omitir, diferir, priorizar y acortar los tratamientos. En el ítem de acortar se recomiendan esquemas de tratamiento para cada patología, priorizando los esquemas hipofraccionados cuando fue posible. CONCLUSIÓN: Se plantean estrategias para la gestión de los servicios de radioterapia con el objetivo de garantizar que los tratamientos de alta calidad para pacientes oncológicos sigan entregándose, pese a la crisis sanitaria ocasionada por COVID-19.

Asociación del tipo de vehículo con el riesgo de provocar una colisión entre vehículos / Association between type of vehicle and the risk of provoking a collision between vehicles

OBJETIVO: Cuantificar la magnitud de la asociación entre el tipo de vehículo y la probabilidad de ser el responsable de una colisión entre dos o más vehículos. MÉTODO: A partir del registro de accidentes de tráfico con víctimas de la Dirección General de Tráfico (2014 y 2015) se diseñó un estudio de casos y controles emparejado. Los casos fueron los conductores infractores implicados en las 27.630 colisiones entre dos o más vehículos, en las que solo uno de los conductores implicados había cometido algún error de conducción o infracción. Cada caso se emparejó con los conductores no infractores de los vehículos implicados en el mismo accidente; en total se dispuso de 31.219 controles. Aparte de la comisión de infracciones y del tipo de vehículo implicado, se obtuvo información para otras características del conductor (edad, sexo, etc.) y del vehículo (antigüedad). Se calcularon odds ratios (OR) para cuantificar la asociación entre cada tipo de vehículo y la odds de ser el causante de la colisión, crudas y ajustadas (ORa) (regresión logística condicionada) por el resto de las variables recogidas. RESULTADOS: En comparación con los turismos, se obtuvo un menor riesgo de provocar la colisión para bicicletas (ORa: 0,30), ciclomotores (ORa: 0,52) y autobuses (ORa: 0,63), y un mayor riesgo para furgonetas (ORa: 1,19) y vehículos todoterreno (ORa: 1,33). CONCLUSIÓN: Los vehículos de dos ruedas y los autobuses tienen un menor riesgo de provocar colisiones que los turismos. Esta asociación es independiente de algunas características del conductor, así como de la antigüedad del vehículo

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the magnitude of the association between the type of vehicle and the probability of being responsible for a collision between two or more vehicles. METHOD: From the registry of road crashes with victims maintained by the Spanish Traffic General Directorate (2014 and 2015), a matched case-control study was designed. Cases were offending drivers involved in the 27,630 collisions between two or more vehicles in which only one of the drivers had committed a driving mistake or offence. Each case was matched with the non-offending drivers of the vehicles involved in the same crash: in all, 31,219 controls were included. Apart from the commission of offences and the type of vehicle involved, we got information about other characteristics of the driver (age, sex, etc.) and about the vehicle (age). Odds ratios (OR) were calculated in order to quantify the association between each type of vehicle and the odds of being responsible for the collision, crude and adjusted (by conditioned logistic regression) by the rest of collected variables. RESULTS: In comparison with private cars, bicycles had a lower risk of causing a collision (adjusted OR: .30), and also mopeds (aOR: .52) and buses (aOR: .63). Vans (aOR: 1.19) and four-wheel vehicles (aOR: 1.33) increased the risk. CONCLUSION: Two-wheeled vehicles and buses had a lower risk of causing collisions than private cars. This association is independent of some of the characteristics of the driver, as well as the age of the vehicle

[Association between type of vehicle and the risk of provoking a collision between vehicles]. / Asociación del tipo de vehículo con el riesgo de provocar una colisión entre vehículos.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the magnitude of the association between the type of vehicle and the probability of being responsible for a collision between two or more vehicles. METHOD: From the registry of road crashes with victims maintained by the Spanish Traffic General Directorate (2014 and 2015), a matched case-control study was designed. Cases were offending drivers involved in the 27,630 collisions between two or more vehicles in which only one of the drivers had committed a driving mistake or offence. Each case was matched with the non-offending drivers of the vehicles involved in the same crash: in all, 31,219 controls were included. Apart from the commission of offences and the type of vehicle involved, we got information about other characteristics of the driver (age, sex, etc.) and about the vehicle (age). Odds ratios (OR) were calculated in order to quantify the association between each type of vehicle and the odds of being responsible for the collision, crude and adjusted (by conditioned logistic regression) by the rest of collected variables. RESULTS: In comparison with private cars, bicycles had a lower risk of causing a collision (adjusted OR: .30), and also mopeds (aOR: .52) and buses (aOR: .63). Vans (aOR: 1.19) and four-wheel vehicles (aOR: 1.33) increased the risk. CONCLUSION: Two-wheeled vehicles and buses had a lower risk of causing collisions than private cars. This association is independent of some of the characteristics of the driver, as well as the age of the vehicle.

Reduciendo el impacto de COVID-19 sobre la radioterapia oncológica en países en desarrollo: revisión rápida y consenso de expertos / Reducing the impact of COVID-19 on radiation oncology units of developing countries: a rapid review and expert consensus

OBJETIVO: Establecer recomendaciones para la toma de decisiones de manejo en radioterapia durante la pandemia de COVID-19, adaptadas a un país con recursos de salud limitados. MÉTODOS: A través de una revisión rápida de la literatura se buscaron publicaciones que describieran medidas para reducir el riesgo de infección por COVID-19, así como también pautas de manejo para reducir la carga de trabajo en las unidades de radioterapia. Se incluyeron en el alcance de esta revisión las siguientes patologías: tumores ginecológicos, cáncer de mama, tumores gastrointestinales, tumores genitourinarios, tumores de cabeza y cuello, cáncer de piel, tumores del sistema nervioso central y linfomas. Un grupo de expertos discutió en línea los datos extraídos y redactó las recomendaciones. Mediante un método Delphi modificado, se evaluó el consenso entre 14 radio-oncólogos certificados. Se evaluó la calidad de la evidencia que sustentó las recomendaciones sobre esquemas de tratamiento. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron un total de 57 documentos. De 25 trabajos se extrajeron las estrategias para reducir el riesgo de infección. De los restantes, se obtuvieron las recomendaciones para cada patología. Las recomendaciones están orientadas a establecer escenarios específicos donde se pueden omitir, diferir, priorizar y acortar los tratamientos. En el ítem de acortar se recomiendan esquemas de tratamiento para cada patología, priorizando los esquemas hipofraccionados cuando fue posible. CONCLUSIÓN: Se plantean estrategias para la gestión de los servicios de radioterapia con el objetivo de garantizar que los tratamientos de alta calidad para pacientes oncológicos sigan entregándose, pese a la crisis sanitaria ocasionada por COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To generate recommendations on the management of radiotherapeutic treatments during the pandemic, adapted to a country with limited health resources. METHODS: We did a rapid review of the literature, searching for papers that describe any measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, as well as management guidelines to reduce the workload, in radiotherapy units. The following conditions were included in the scope of this review: gynecological tumors, breast cancer, gastrointestinal tumors, genitourinary tumors, head and neck tumors, skin cancer, tumors of the central nervous system, and lymphomas. An expert group discussed online the extracted data and drafted the recommendations. Using a modified Delphi method, the consensus was reached among 14 certificated radio-oncologists. The quality of the evidence that supported the recommendations on treatment schedules was assessed. RESULTS: A total of 57 documents were included. Of these, 25 provided strategies to reduce the risk of infection. Recommendations for each condiction were extracted from the remaining documents. The recommendations aim to establish specific parameters where treatments can be omitted, deferred, prioritized, and shortened. Treatment schemes are recommended for each condition, prioritizing hypo-fractionated schemes whenever possible. CONCLUSIONS: We propose strategies for the management of radiotherapy services to guarantee the continuity of high-quality treatments despite the health crisis caused by COVID-19.

Sarcoma osteogénico de extremidades tratamiento quirúrgico / Osteogénico Sarcoma of extremities surgical processing

Expone que los tumores primarios malignos del sistema esuqelético son raros (0.5xciento); el Osteosarcoma afecta en forma preferente a adolescentes y adultos jóvenes, siendo las áreas metafisarias del hueso las más afectadas (extremo distal del fémur 70-80xciento). Los avances en el control de la enfermedad oncológica sistémica (quimioterapia), la introducción de imaginativos procesos quirúrgicos ortopédicos, y la aceptación general de las técnicas de rescate de miembros, son una alternativa real y práctica a la amputación. En el presente artículo se hace una revisión del tratamiento convencional del osteosarcoma y las nuevas técnicas de manejo quirúrgico con injertos, prótesis no convencionales y reconstrucción de partes blandas. Finalmente, se analizan los principios de la cirugía de rescate de miembros y las recomendaciones para su aplicación.