Estrategias para la prevención de lesiones de ligamento cruzado anterior en mujeres deportistas con valgo dinámico de rodilla. Revisión sistemática / Strategies for the prevention of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in female athletes with dynamic knee valgus: Systematic review

Antecedentes y objetivo El aumento de la participación deportiva de las mujeres en la última década produce un aumento del riesgo, la frecuencia y la prevalencia de lesiones de ligamento cruzado anterior (LCA). Su incidencia de lesión es entre 2-8 veces mayor que en hombres debido a factores de riesgo como el valgo dinámico de rodilla (DKV). El objetivo de este trabajo consiste en evidenciar los programas de prevención actuales disponibles en la literatura científica, dirigidos a reducir las lesiones de LCA en mujeres deportistas con DKV y sus características en cuanto a variables y herramientas de medición, dosificación y aplicación. Material y métodos Se efectuó una revisión sistemática siguiendo la declaración PRISMA. Se buscó en las bases de datos PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Science Direct, Web of Science y Scopus. Los artículos seleccionados tenían que mostrar las estrategias preventivas que pueden contribuir a reducir las lesiones del LCA en mujeres deportistas con DKV. Para valorar la calidad metodológica se utilizaron las escalas PEDro y STROBE. La última búsqueda fue realizada en febrero de 2022. Resultados Diecisiete estudios con un total de 1.634 participantes (79,5% mujeres; 20,5% hombres) cumplieron los criterios de inclusión de esta revisión. Todos los estudios mostraron mejoras significativas del DKV y del gesto deportivo. La fuerza y la activación muscular de miembros inferiores (59,3%) tras completar protocolos de control motor, fuerza o equilibrio también muestran mejoras significativas. Conclusiones Aunque sea necesaria una mayor investigación sobre la inclusión de estos programas en deportistas femeninas con DKV, los estudios revisados han comprobado que existen programas de prevención variados (pliometría, equilibrio, fuerza, entre otros) que aportan una mejora significativa del DKV y, por tanto, de la prevención de lesiones de LCA en mujeres deportistas a corto plazo (AU)

Background and objective The increase in female sports participation in the last decade has led to an increase in the risk, frequency and prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Their incidence of injury is 2–8 times higher than in men due to risk factors such as dynamic knee valgus (DKV). The aim of this study is to demonstrate the current prevention programmes available in the scientific literature aimed at reducing ACL injuries in female athletes with DKV and their characteristics in terms of variables and measurement tools, dosage and application. Material and methods A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA statement. The databases PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Science Direct, Web of Science and Scopus were searched. The articles selected had to show preventive strategies that can contribute to reducing ACL injuries in female athletes with DKV. The PEDro and STROBE scales were used to assess methodological quality. The last search was conducted in February 2022. Results Seventeen studies with a total of 1634 participants (79.5% women; 20.5% men) met the inclusion criteria for this review. All studies showed significant improvements in DKV and sport gesture. Lower limb muscle strength and activation (59.3%) after completing motor control, strength or balance protocols also showed significant improvements. Conclusions Although more research is needed on the inclusion of these programmes in female athletes with DKV, the studies reviewed have shown that there are varied prevention programmes (plyometrics, balance, strength, among others) that provide a significant improvement in DKV and, therefore, in the prevention of ACL injuries in female athletes in the short term (AU)

Recomendaciones para la rehabilitación respiratoria extrahospitalaria en pacientes con COVID persistente / Recommendations for outpatient respiratory rehabilitation of long COVID patients

La aparición de la COVID-19 ha supuesto un problema de salud pública mundial, provocando una elevada presión en los sistemas sanitarios. Las secuelas de esta enfermedad han puesto de manifiesto la importancia de la rehabilitación en pacientes COVID persistente, implicando en el proceso a diferentes profesionales. El tratamiento de las secuelas respiratorias en fase ambulatoria de esta reciente enfermedad es un campo especializado y parece oportuno ofrecer una serie de recomendaciones prácticas de rehabilitación cardio-respiratoria que ayuden a todos los profesionales implicados en la tarea de tratar este tipo de secuelas una vez superada la fase hospitalaria. Esta revisión de la literatura ofrece diez aspectos clave de fisioterapia respiratoria que incluyen la valoración, los parámetros que se deben monitorizar y los signos de alerta, así como las técnicas respiratorias específicas y otros ejercicios prácticos que se deben realizar en esta población.(AU)

The appearance of COVID-19 has been a problem for public health on a global scale, putting pressure on health care systems. The after-effects of this illness have highlighted the importance of rehabilitation in long COVID patients involving different health professionals. The treatment of the respiratory after-effects of this disease in an outpatient setting is a specialized field. It is appropriate to offer a series of practical recommendations of cardio-respiratory rehabilitation that are helpful to the professionals involved in the after-effects when ending hospitalisation. This review of the literature includes ten key aspects of respiratory physiotherapy that range from assessment, parameters to monitor, signs of alarm and respiratory rehabilitation techniques and other exercises for this population.(AU)

[Recommendations for outpatient respiratory rehabilitation of long COVID patients].

The appearance of COVID-19 has been a problem for public health on a global scale, putting pressure on health care systems. The after-effects of this illness have highlighted the importance of rehabilitation in long COVID patients involv-ing different health professionals. The treatment of the respiratory after-effects of this disease in an outpatient setting is a specialized field. It is appropriate to offer a series of practical recommendations of cardio-respiratory rehabilitation that are helpful to the professionals involved in the after-effects when ending hospitalisation. This review of the literature includes ten key aspects of respiratory physiotherapy that range from assessment, parameters to monitor, signs of alarm and respiratory rehabilitation techniques and other exercises for this population.

Effects of water deficit and salinity stress on late mandarin trees.

To maintain the viability of citrus farms in a scenario of scarce water supplies for irrigation purposes, such as in south-eastern Spain, it is necessary to detect the maximum threshold of crop water status and vegetative growth, both of which are vulnerable to the combined effect of water and salinity stress. With this aim, adult late mandarin trees were subjected to a gradual increase in salinity of the irrigation water for four consecutive growing seasons, accompanied by a water deficit for the first three seasons, while the fourth season counted as a recovery period. The treatments tested were: i) control (CTL), irrigated at 100% of the ETc in the first season followed by an additional 33% water leaching requirement in the second and third seasons; (ii) a regulated deficit irrigation (RDI100) treatment, irrigated as the CTL except in phase I and until mid-phase II, coinciding with the beginning of the slowdown in trunk growth, where irrigation was set at 65 and 50% CTL in the first and last two seasons, respectively, and 80% in phase III; (iii) RDI50, irrigated as the CTL during the first season, and from the second season onwards, at 50% RDI100 during the deficit period; (iv) FARMER, irrigated in accordance with the farmer's criteria. A moderate saline water stress combined with the application of RDI100 treatment did not reduce crop yield after one growing season, but did reduce plant growth. However, after two consecutive seasons (in both RDI strategies) water stress drastically reduced both yield and plant growth, mainly due to a high accumulation of sodium and chloride in the leaves. Gas exchange parameters were also greatly reduced. Furthermore, it was found that the water deficit could be prolonged until the trunk growth slowed down during the second fruit growth stage in mandarin trees, leading to a substantial increase in water productivity values.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of post-progression outcomes in ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer after CDK4/6 inhibitors within randomized clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors and endocrine therapy (ET) deeply transformed the treatment landscape of hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer. Randomized clinical trials suggest that second progression-free survival (PFS2) was not compromised and time to subsequent chemotherapy (TTC) may be delayed. We carried out a meta-analysis to assess the benefit on PFS2 and on delaying the TTC. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search of randomized clinical trials with CDK4/6 inhibitors and ET reporting PFS2 or TTC of HR+/HER2- pre- or postmenopausal metastatic breast cancer. We also reviewed abstracts and presentations from all major conference proceedings. We calculated the pooled hazard ratios (HR) for PFS2 and TTC using random-effects models with 95% confidence intervals (CI). I2 was used to quantify heterogeneity between results of the studies. RESULTS: Eight studies (MONALEESA-2/3/7, MONARCH-2/3, PALOMA-1/2/3) were included in this analysis (N = 4580 patients). PFS2 benefit was observed in patients who received CDK4/6 inhibitors plus ET (pooled HR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.62-0.74, I2 = 0%) and also a delay in subsequent TTC (pooled HR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.60-0.71, I2 = 0%). A benefit in terms of PFS (pooled HR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.51-0.59, I2 = 0%) and overall survival (pooled HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.69-0.84, I2 = 0%) was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: CDK4/6 inhibitors plus ET compared with ET alone improve PFS2 and TTC. The delay of chemotherapy may postpone the start of a more toxic treatment option, delaying related toxicities and potentially maintaining a better quality of life for patients, for a longer time. The benefit in PFS2 may postpone the onset of endocrine resistance and help further validate this treatment approach.

Sex-based differences in response to anti-PD-1 or PD-L1 treatment in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer expressing high PD-L1 levels. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: In our previous works, we demonstrated that patients' sex affects the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with several advanced solid tumors. Here, we assessed the sex-based heterogeneity of efficacy of anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1)/anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1) given as monotherapy, for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) expressing high PD-L1 levels, to evaluate if available evidence supports this therapeutic option for both women and men. METHODS: We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis including all randomized, controlled trials testing anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 drugs in monotherapy, as first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC expressing high PD-L1 levels. The primary endpoint was the difference in efficacy of anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 drugs versus chemotherapy, between men and women, measured in terms of the difference in overall survival (OS) log [hazard ratio (HR)] reported in male and female study participants. RESULTS: We analyzed four randomized, controlled trials, including 1672 patients, of whom 1224 (73.2%) were men and 448 (26.8%) were women. The pooled OS-HR comparing anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 versus chemotherapy was 0.59 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.50-0.69] for men and only 0.84 (95% CI, 0.64-1.10) for women. The pooled ratio of the OS-HRs reported in men versus women was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.52-0.98; P-heterogeneity: 0.04), indicating a significantly greater effect for men. No heterogeneity among single-study estimates was observed in either male patients (Q = 2.39, P = 0.50, I2 = 0%) or in female patients (Q = 1.13, P = 0.50, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSION: Evidence available indicates anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 monotherapy as highly effective in men but not in women, even in NSCLCs expressing high PD-L1 levels. Prospective trials testing sex-based tailored immunotherapy strategies are needed.

Evaluation of endocrine therapy and patients preferences in early breast cancer: results of Elena study.

PURPOSE: The development of the adjuvant therapy requires that clinicians and patients should discuss the magnitude of benefit of treatment for individual patient, estimating the pros and cons and the personal preferences. The aim of the present study was to determine the preferences of women treated with adjuvant hormonal therapy (HT) for breast cancer. METHODS: The analyses were conducted into three different groups of early breast cancer patients to evaluate the survival benefit needed to make treatment worthwhile before starting HT (A), after a few months from the beginning (B) and after several years of HT (C). The questionnaires, showing hypothetical scenarios based on potential survival times and rates without HT, were used to determine the lowest gains women judged necessary to make the treatment worthwhile. RESULTS: A total of 452 patients were included in the study: 149 in group A, 150 in group B and 153 in group C. In group C, 65% of patients were receiving HT with aromatase inhibitors (with or without a LHRH analogue). In the groups A, B, C 8%, 20% and 26%, respectively, received adjuvant chemotherapy. Overall, 355 women (79%) had children. The responses were quite similar between the three groups. A median gain of 10 years was judged necessary to make adjuvant HT worthwhile based on the hypothetical scenario of untreated mean survival time of 5 and 15 years. Median gain of 20% more women surviving was judged necessary to make adjuvant HT worthwhile based on an untreated 5-year survival rate expectation of 60%. Cognitive dysfunction was considered the side effect least compatible with the continuation of treatment in all three groups. CONCLUSIONS: This is a large study of patient preferences on HT. Compared with other studies with similar design, the patients included in the present study required larger benefits to make adjuvant therapy worthwhile.

[Conservative management in elderly patients with advanced chronic kidney disease].

The poor health outcomes of Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) in the elderly has promoted Conservative Management (CM) as a therapeutic option in advanced chronic kidney disease. However, there is still a lack of evidence about prognosis of these patients; thus, the aim was to analyze the survival rate of elderly patients under CM and RRT and evaluate the variables related to the initiation of such treatments in clinical practice. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of RRT and CM patients >75años. Renal function parameters and geriatric assessments were carried out. This evaluation included: analysis of comorbidity, functional, cognitive, frailty, nutritional and socio-family status. RESULTS: Cohort of 37 RRT and 82 CM patients. CM patients were significantly older, with more frequency of history of vascular event, more comorbility (Charlson), worse functional situation (Barthel), higher risks of cognitive impairment (Pfeiffer) and malnutrition (MNA-SF), and higher frailty and socio-familiar impairment. Mortality rate was lower in RRT patients (8.72 vs. 3/1,000 patients/month; HR= 0.37, p=0.018), but survival advantage reduced drastically after adjustment for the different geriatric syndromes analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Charlson's comorbidity was found to be an independent mortality predictor in elderly patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. Dialysis did not improve survival with respect to conservative treatment in patients with Charlson higher than 8 points.

Tratamiento renal conservador en ancianos con enfermedad renal crónica avanzada / Conservative management in elderly patients with advanced chronic kidney disease

FUNDAMENTO: Los resultados en salud del tratamiento renal sustitutivo (TRS) en el anciano han hecho que el tratamiento renal conservador (TRC) sea una opción terapéutica en la enfermedad renal crónica avanzada. Sin embargo, se sabe poco sobre la evolución de estos pacientes, por lo que el objetivo fue analizar la supervivencia de los pacientes ancianos en TRS y TRC y evaluar el efecto de las variables relacionadas con el inicio de ambos tratamientos. MÉTODO: Estudio de cohortes prospectivo de pacientes >75 años en TRS y TRC. Se realizó un análisis de supervivencia incluyendo la valoración de la función renal y variables demográficas y clínicas, comorbilidad, fragilidad y situación funcional, cognitiva, nutricional y social. RESULTADOS: Cohorte de 37 pacientes en TRS y 82 en TRC. Los pacientes en TRC eran significativamente más ancianos, con mayor frecuencia de evento vascular, mayor comorbilidad (Charlson>8), peor situación funcional (Barthel), mayor riesgo de deterioro cognitivo (Pfeiffer) y malnutrición (MNA-SF), y mayor fragilidad y deterioro sociofamiliar. La tasa de mortalidad fue inferior en pacientes en TRS (8,7 vs 23/1.000 pacientes-mes; HR= 0,37; p = 0,018) pero el ajuste por los diferentes síndromes geriátricos analizados redujo considerablemente esta ventaja de supervivencia. CONCLUSIONES: La comorbilidad medida por el índice de Charlson fue predictor independiente de mortalidad en pacientes ancianos con enfermedad renal crónica avanzada. En aquellos pacientes ancianos con Charlson mayor de 8 puntos el TRS no mejoró la supervivencia respecto del TRC

BACKGROUND: The poor health outcomes of Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) in the elderly has promoted Conservative Management (CM) as a therapeutic option in advanced chronic kidney disease. However, there is still a lack of evidence about prognosis of these patients; thus, the aim was to analyze the survival rate of elderly patients under CM and RRT and evaluate the variables related to the initiation of such treatments in clinical practice. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of RRT and CM patients >75años. Renal function parameters and geriatric assessments were carried out. This evaluation included: analysis of comorbidity, functional, cognitive, frailty, nutritional and socio-family status. RESULTS: Cohort of 37 RRT and 82 CM patients. CM patients were significantly older, with more frequency of history of vascular event, more comorbility (Charlson), worse functional situation (Barthel), higher risks of cognitive impairment (Pfeiffer) and malnutrition (MNA-SF), and higher frailty and socio-familiar impairment. Mortality rate was lower in RRT patients (8.72 vs. 3/1,000 patients/month; HR= 0.37, p = 0.018), but survival advantage reduced drastically after adjustment for the different geriatric syndromes analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Charlson's comorbidity was found to be an independent mortality predictor in elderly patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. Dialysis did not improve survival with respect to conservative treatment in patients with Charlson higher than 8 points

Fibrina rica en plaquetas en la cicatrización de los tejidos periodontales / Platelet-rich fibrin in the healing of periodontal tissues

La fibrina rica en plaquetas (FRP) es una membrana o coágulo de fibrina que contiene leucocitos, plaquetas, citoquinas y factores de crecimiento; es considerado un biomaterial y concentrado plaquetario de segunda generación que se obtiene mediante la centrifu- gación de sangre del propio paciente. La presente revisión tiene como objetivo evaluar la cicatrización de los tejidos periodontales con la aplicación de la FRP. De la revisión se concluye que la FRP es una buena alternativa para promover una mejor cicatrización, además de potenciar otros biomateriales con el fin de condicionar una mejor regenera- ción y un menor periodo de tiempo.

Platelet-rich fibrin (FRP) is a fibrin membrane or clot that contains leukocytes, platelets, cytokines and growth factors; it is considered a biomaterial and second generation pla- telet concentrate that is obtained by centrifuging the patient's own blood. This review aims to evaluate the healing of periodontal tissues with the application of FRP. The re- view concludes that FRP is a good alternative to promote better healing, in addition to promoting other biomaterials in order to condition a better regeneration and a shorter period of time

Fertility concerns, preservation strategies and quality of life in young women with breast cancer: Baseline results from an ongoing prospective cohort study in selected European Centers.

OBJECTIVES: Most research addressing needs and concerns of young patients with breast cancer (≤40 years) is retrospective. The HOHO European protocol is a prospective multicenter cohort study of young women with newly diagnosed breast cancer, about fertility, psychosocial and quality of life concerns. Here we report the baseline data and focus on predictors of fertility concerns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patient surveys and medical record review were used. The baseline survey included sociodemographic, medical and treatment data as well as questions on fertility concerns and preservation strategies. Subscales from the CAncer Rehabilitation Evaluation System-Short Form (CARES-SF) were administered to measure specific quality of life aspects. Uni- and multivariable modeling were used to investigate predictors of greater fertility concern. RESULTS: Among 297 eligible respondents, 67% discussed fertility issues before starting therapy, 64% were concerned about becoming infertile after treatment, and 15% decided not to follow prescribed therapies. Fifty-four percent of women wished future children before diagnosis; of these, 71% still desired biologic children afterwards. In multivariable analysis, not having children was the only patient characteristic significantly associated with fertility concerns at diagnosis. Twenty-seven percent used fertility preservation strategies. Women who received chemotherapy reported greater physical (p = 0.021) and sexual difficulties (p = 0.039) than women who did not. Women who were married or had a partner reported less psychosocial problems than single women (p = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Young women with newly diagnosed breast cancer have several concerns, including, but not limited to, fertility. The HOHO European study provides valuable information to develop targeted interventions.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in microinvasive ductal carcinoma in situ.

BACKGROUND: Microinvasive breast cancer is an uncommon pathological entity. Owing to the rarity of this condition, its surgical axillary management and overall prognosis remain controversial. METHODS: A database was analysed to identify patients with microinvasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) who had surgery for invasive breast cancer at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, between 1998 and 2010. Women who had undergone axillary staging by sentinel lymph node biopsy were included in the study. RESULTS: Of 257 women with microinvasive breast cancer who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), 226 (87·9 per cent) had negative sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) and 31 had metastatic SLNs. Twelve patients had isolated tumour cells (ITCs), 14 had micrometastases and five had macrometastases in sentinel nodes. Axillary lymph node dissection was performed in 16 of the 31 patients with positive SLNs. After a median follow-up of 11 years, only one regional first event was observed in the 15 patients with positive SLNs who did not undergo axillary lymph node dissection. There were no regional first events in the 16 patients with positive SLNs who had axillary dissection. CONCLUSION: Good disease-free and overall survival were found in women with positive SLNs and microinvasive DCIS. This study is in line with studies showing that SLNB in microinvasive DCIS may not be useful, and supports the evidence that less surgery can provide the same level of overall survival with better quality of life.

Antimicrobial activity of suspensions and nanoemulsions of citral in combination with heat or pulsed electric fields.

The application of essential oils in form of nanoemulsions has been proposed as a method to improve their solubility in aqueous solutions, and hence their antimicrobial activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of citral, applied directly or in combined treatments with heat or pulsed electric fields (PEF), as a function of the inoculation procedure assayed: (i) a simple, vigorous shaking method by vortex agitation (suspension of citral; s-citral) or (ii) the previous preparation of nanoemulsions by the emulsion phase inversion (EPI) method (nanoemulsion of citral; n-citral). n-Citral was more effective in either inhibiting or inactivating Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai than s-citral. However, when combined with heat, a greater synergistic effect was observed with s-citral rather than with n-citral, either in lab media (pH 7·0 and 4·0) or apple juice. For instance, while almost 5 log10 cell cycles were inactivated in apple juice after 15 min at 53°C in the presence of 0·1 µl ml-1 of s-citral, the use of n-citral required 30 min. The use of nanoemulsions did not modify the slight synergism observed when citral and mild PEF were combined (150 µs, 30 kV cm-1 ). SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The exploration of different delivery systems of antimicrobial compounds such as citral in aqueous food products aids in the establishment of successful combined treatments for food preservation. While at room temperature, citral in form of a nanoemulsion shows a higher antimicrobial activity; its combination with heat would imply a partial loss of the outstanding synergistic lethal effect achieved when added in suspension form. Therefore, the most suitable procedure to magnify the synergism between heat and citral when processing juices would merely require an intense homogenization step prior to the combined treatment.

Sífilis e infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana / Syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus infection

No disponible

Mitos y realidades en la tendinopatía rotuliana del deportista. Abordaje desde la evidencia científica / Myths and realities in patellar tendinopathy in the athlete. Scientific evidence based approach

ObjetivoEn este artículo de revisión se pretende contrastar algunos tópicos establecidos sobre la tendinopatía rotuliana del deportista con la evidencia científica actual.Estrategias y selección de estudiosSe ha realizado una búsqueda bibliográfica de los trabajos publicados sobre la patología en la última década (1998–2008) en las siguientes bases de datos: MedLine, Embase, PEDro, ISI Web of Science, Ibecs e IME. Se seleccionaron aquellos trabajos cuyos títulos contenían términos relacionados con aspectos de tratamiento quirúrgico, ejercicio excéntrico o fisiopatología de la tendinosis rotuliana.ConclusionesTras el análisis de esta información se puede afirmar que el ejercicio excéntrico es una de las terapias no invasivas de elección, aunque existe una falta de acuerdo sobre la metodología de su aplicación; se puede afirmar que tras la evaluación de los resultados con el tratamiento quirúrgico éstos son muy heterogéneos; por último, se puede afirmar que existe todavía desconocimiento acerca de los mecanismos por los que el tendón comienza a padecer procesos degenerativos y de los cambios que este hecho conlleva, lo cual genera a su vez mayores expectativas de investigación(AU)

ObjectiveThis article has aimed to compare some established topics on patellar tendinopathy in the athlete with current scientific evidence.Strategies and study selectionA bibliographical search was established to find articles on patellar tendinopathy published in the last decade (1998–2008) within the following data bases: MedLine, Embase, PEDro, ISI Web of Science, Ibecs and IME. Those works whose titles included terms related with aspects of surgical treatment, eccentric exercise, or physiopathology of patellar tendinosis were selected.ConclusionsAfter close analysis of this information, it can be stated that eccentric exercise is one of the important non-invasive form of therapy of choice. However, there is lack of agreement on its methodology application which is found to be very heterogeneous after the evaluation of the results following surgical treatment. Finally, knowledge is still lacking about the mechanisms leading to the onset of a degenerative process of the tendon and of the resulting changes, which generates higher expectations for research(AU)

A program evaluation study of a nursing home operated as a modified therapeutic community for chemically dependent persons with AIDS. Project Samaritan AIDS Services, Inc.'s Residential Health Care Facility, Highbridge Section, Bronx, NY.

An interagency evaluation of the treatment effectiveness of a speciality nursing home (NH) run as a therapeutic community (TC) for residents diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and substance abuse/dependence (SA/D) was conducted. A total of 79 chemically dependent men and women with AIDS were: (a) administered the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS; Roid & Fitts, 1991) at initial testing (T(1)) and 8 months after their initial testing (T(2)); and (b) assessed on specific physical health indicators (i.e. , weight, CD-4 count, and viral load) and other treatment outcomes (e.g., abstinence) over the same two time periods. The TSCS results identified a valid and invalid TSCS test group and further distinguished among three subgroups of invalid responders. Significant improvements were observed from T(1) testing to T(2) testing on the TSCS, on the physical health indicators, and on other treatment outcomes. The need for additional and continued mental health services for this population was noted.

Acute calcific periarthritis of the fingers.

Two cases of acute calcific periarthritis of the fingers are described and some controversial clinical aspects of the syndrome discussed.