Implementation of an Integrated Lung Cancer Prevention and Screening Program Using a Mobile Computed Tomography (CT) Unit in Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer worldwide and in Brazil. Despite strong evidence, lung cancer screening by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in high-risk individuals is far from a reality in many countries, particularly in Brazil. Brazil has a universal public health system marked with important inequalities. One affordable strategy to increase the coverage of resources is to use mobile units. OBJECTIVES: To describe the implementation and results of an innovative lung cancer prevention program that integrates tobacco cessation and lung cancer screening using a mobile CT unit. METHODOLOGY: From May 2019 to Dec 2020, health professionals from 18 public primary health care units in Barretos, Brazil, were trained to offer smoking cessation counseling and treatment. Eligible high-risk participants of this program were also invited to perform lung cancer screening in a mobile LDCT unit that was specially conceived to be dispatched to the community. A detailed epidemiological questionnaire was administered to the LDCT participants. RESULTS: Among the 233 screened participants, the majority were women (54.9%), and the average age was 62 years old. A total of 52.8% of participants showed high or very high nicotine dependence. After 1 year, 27.8% of participants who were involved in smoking cessation groups had quit smoking. The first LDCT round revealed that the majority of participants (83.7%) exhibited lung-Rads 1 or 2; 7.3% exhibited lung-Rads 3; 7.7% exhibited lung-Rads 4a; and 3% exhibited lung-Rads 4b or 4x. The three participants with lung-Rads 4b were further confirmed, and their surgery led to the diagnosis of early-stage cancer (1 case of adenocarcinoma and two cases of squamous cell carcinoma), leading to a cancer diagnosis rate of 12.8/1000. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate promising outcomes for an onsite integrative program enrolling high-risk individuals in a middle-income country. Evidence barriers and challenges remain to be overcome.

Anastomotic fistula after emergency enterectomy for retrograde intussusception after gastric bypass.

Retrograde intussusception is a rare complication of gastric bypass. It is commonly located in the common limb close to the jejunojejunostomy. The management of such condition dictates the outcome of the patient either in the immediate emergency setting or in the long-term bariatric surgery's expected results. We present a case of a retrograde intussusception 3 years after gastric bypass which warranted an emergency enterectomy, followed by an anastomotic fistula. The adequate management of these cases leads to recovery without compromising the effect of bariatric surgery in the future.

Hemodialysis Catheters in Infants: A Retrospective Single-Center Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Evaluate technical aspects and outcomes of insertion/maintenance of hemodialysis (HD) central venous catheter (CVC) during infancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Single-center retrospective study of 29 infants who underwent 49 HD-CVC insertions between 2002 and 2016. Demographics, procedural, and post-procedural details, interventional radiology (IR) maintenance procedures, technical modifications, complications, and outcomes were evaluated. Technical adjustments during HD-CVC placement to adapt catheter length to patient size were labeled "modifications." CVCs requiring return visit to IR were called IR-maintenance procedures. Mean age and weight at HD-CVC insertion were 117 days and 4.9 kg. RESULTS: Of the 29 patients, 13 (45%) required renal-replacement-therapy (RRT) as neonates, 10 (34%) commenced RRT with peritoneal dialysis (PD), and 19 (66%) with HD. Fifteen nontunneled and 34 tunneled HD-CVCs were inserted while patients were ≤1 year. Technical modifications were required placing 25/49 (51%) HD-CVCs: 5/15 (33%) nontunneled and 20/34 (59%) tunneled catheters (P = .08). Patients underwent ≤6 dialysis-cycles/patient during infancy (mean 2.3), and a mean of 4.1 and 49 HD-sessions/catheter for nontunneled and tunneled HD-CVCs, respectively. Mean primary and secondary device service, and total access site intervals for tunneled HD-CVCs were 75, 115, and 201 days, respectively. A total of 26 of 49 (53%) patients required IR-maintenance procedures. Nontunneled lines had greater catheter-related bloodstream infections per 1,000 catheter-days than tunneled HD-CVCs (9.25 vs. 0.85/1,000 catheter days; P = .02). Nineteen patients (65%) survived over 1 year. At final evaluation (December 2017): 8/19 survived transplantation, 5/19 remained on RRT, 2/19 completely recovered, 1/19 lost to follow-up, and 3 died at 1.3, 2, and 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: Placement/maintenance of HD-CVCs in infants pose specific challenges, requiring insertion modifications, and IR-maintenance procedures to maintain function.

Validity and Reliability of the Emergency Severity Index in a Spanish Hospital.

Saturation in hospital emergency departments is one of the main safety problems for the patient, which can generate negative consequences for their health. In response to this issue, triage systems are developed to organize the flow of patients in order to allow the most urgent ones to be treated first. The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) is the most used triage system in the USA and it has been implemented in the General Hospital of La Palma since 2010. The objective of this study is the validation of the ESI adapted to our hospital through the study of its degree of reliability, as well as the criterion validity. The sample consisted of 240 randomly selected cases, with proportional representation of emergencies attended in 2015 and their fraction of urgent ones (Levels 1 and 2). Criterion validity was estimated by sensitivity, specificity, and predictive result values. For reliability, the degree of agreement among the nurses was studied by means of the adapted kappa index kc2. Criterion validity showed a sensitivity of 89% (85-93%) and a specificity of 97% (94-99%), with a positive predictive value of 68% (62-74%) and a negative predictive value of 99% (98-100%) for the discrimination of urgent cases. The reliability analysis showed a kc2 = 0.94 (0.84-0.99) index, a very good agreement according to Landis-Koch criteria. The results of our study have shown adequate validity and reliability in the adaptation and implementation of an ESI triage system suited to the specific conditions of a hospital emergency service in Spain.

Warm Little Inflaton Becomes Cold Dark Matter.

We present a model where the inflaton can naturally account for all the dark matter in the Universe within the warm inflation paradigm. In particular, we show that the symmetries and particle content of the warm little inflaton scenario (i) avoid large thermal and radiative corrections to the scalar potential, (ii) allow for sufficiently strong dissipative effects to sustain a radiation bath during inflation that becomes dominant at the end of the slow-roll regime, and (iii) enable a stable inflaton remnant in the postinflationary epochs. The latter behaves as dark radiation during nucleosynthesis, leading to a non-negligible contribution to the effective number of relativistic degrees of freedom, and becomes the dominant cold dark matter component in the Universe shortly before matter-radiation equality for inflaton masses in the 10^{-4}-10^{-1} eV range. Cold dark matter isocurvature perturbations, anticorrelated with the main adiabatic component, provide a smoking gun for this scenario that can be tested in the near future.

Una escala para valorar el riesgo de embarazo adolescente no planificado / A scale to assess the risk of unplanned adolescent pregnancy

Objetivo: Diseñar y validar un cuestionario para valorar el riesgo de embarazo adolescente no planificado (EANP). Método: Diseño de un cuestionario para valorar el riesgo de EANP a partir de todos los factores relacionados descritos en la literatura. Se validó posteriormente sobre una muestra de adolescentes de La Palma clasificadas como EANP y no EANP con estimación de fiabilidad por test-retest. Resultados: El cuestionario partía de 36 ítems. Con la finalidad de validar la apariencia y el contenido de este cuestionario inicial, se constituyó un grupo de expertos y otro de adolescentes con EANP. La muestra de validación la conformaron 148 adolescentes, con una media de edad ± desviación estándar de 21 ± 2 años, entre las que figuraba un 36% de EANP. Se eliminaron 27 ítems por no tener relación con el EANP. Su coeficiente alfa de Cronbach alcanzó un valor de 0,78 con la eliminación de un ítem redundante, por lo que el cuestionario final quedó conformado por 8 ítems. La validez de constructo mediante análisis factorial confirmatorio ratificó la estructura de 5 dimensiones, con un 76% de variabilidad de respuestas explicada. Se establecieron reglas cualitativas de afectación de ítems, dimensiones y de salida global del cuestionario. La validez de criterio mostró una sensibilidad de 0,87 (intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%: 0,81-0,93) y un valor predictivo de resultado negativo de 0,86 (IC del 95%: 0,80-0,92). La fiabilidad presentó un índice kappa de 0,77 (IC del 95%: 0,70-0,84). Todos estos parámetros alcanzaron un valor de p <0,001. Conclusión: Las propiedades métricas del cuestionario obtenido (Instrumento de valoración del Riesgo de Embarazo No Esperado [IRENE]), junto con su facilidad y rapidez de administración, lo convierten en un medio adecuado de cribado para detectar a una adolescente en situación de riesgo de embarazo no planificado y valorar sobre qué aspectos podemos incidir para intentar reducirlo

Objective: Design and validate a questionnaire to assess the risk of unplanned adolescent pregnancy (UAP). Method: The design of a questionnaire to assess the risk of UAP from all the related factors described in the literature. It is subsequently validated on a sample of adolescents from La Palma classified as UAP and not UAP with reliability estimation by test-retest. Results: The questionnaire starts from 36 items. An expert group and another group of teenagers with UAP carry out their validity of appearance and content. The validation sample is made up of 148 adolescents aged 21 ± 2 years with 36% of UAP. 27 items are eliminated because they are not related to the UAP. The Cronbach alpha reaches 0.78 with an elimination of a redundant item, the final questionnaire was formed by 8 items. The construct validity by confirmatory factor analysis confirms the 5-dimensional structure with 76% variability of responses explained. Qualitative rules of affectation of items, dimensions and global exit of the questionnaire are established. The criterion validity shows 0.87 (95% CI: 0.81-0.93) of sensitivity and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.80-0.92) of predictive value of negative result. Reliability presents a kappa index of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.70-0.84). All these parameters achieve p <0.001. Conclusion: The metric properties of the questionnaire obtained (Unexpected Pregnancy Risk Assessment Instrument [IRENE]), together with its ease and speed of administration, make it an adequate means of screening to detect a teenager at risk of unplanned pregnancy and assess what aspects we can influence to try to reduce it

Neurólise de plexo celíaco por via anterior guiada por tomografia computadorizada: relato de caso / CT-guided anterior celiac plexus neurolysis: case report

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A dor oncológica exige outras opções terapêuticas além do tratamento farmacológico para melhor controle e, portanto, deve-se sempre que possível utilizar técnicas e modalidades intervencionistas para controle da dor, pois assim pode--se oferecer aos pacientes melhor qualidade de vida e melhora da resposta terapêutica ao tratamento instituído.O objetivo deste estudo foi apresentar uma técnica intervencionista de simples execução, adequadamente tolerada pelo paciente, com ótimo resultado antálgico e isenta de maiores intercorrências.RELATO DO CASO: Paciente do sexo feminino,50 anos com quadro neoplásico decorrente de tumor de canal anal e dor refratária ao tratamento farmacológico multimodal com analgésicos. Submetida à neurólise de plexo celíaco por via anterior, guiado com tomografia computadorizada mediante punção única e injeção de álcool a 97%, obtendo controle efetivo do quadro álgico abdominal e retorno às tarefas da vida cotidiana.CONCLUSÃO: A neurólise do plexo celíaco por via anterior com punção única sob tomografia foi efetiva para o controle do quadro doloroso abdominal em paciente com tumor anal e metástase hepática irressecável.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cancer pain requires other therapeutic options in addition to pharmacological treatment for better control. So, whenever possible, one should use interventionist pain control techniques and modalities to offer better quality of life and improve therapeutic response to treatment. This study aimed at presenting a simple interventionist technique,adequately tolerated by patients, with excellent pain relief and free of major intercurrences.CASE REPORT: Female patient, 50 years old with neoplasia resulting from anal canal tumor and pain refractory to multimodal analgesic treatment. CT-guided anterior celiac plexus neurolysis by single puncture and 97% alcohol injection has provided effective abdominal pain control and return to daily activities.CONCLUSION: CT-guided celiac plexus neurolysis with single puncture was effective to control abdominal pain in a patient with anal tumor and unresectable liver metastasis.

Soil CO2 emissions from Northern Andean páramo ecosystems: effects of fallow agriculture.

The effects of fallow agriculture on soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics and CO2 emissions were assessed in the tropical Andean páramo ecosystem. Possible changes during the cultivation-fallow cycle were monitored in four areas of the Quebrada Piñuelas valley (Venezuela). Uncultivated soils and plots at different stages of a complete cultivation--fallow cycle were incubated, and SOM mineralization kinetics was determined. Soils exhibited a low SOM mineralization activity, total CO2 evolved never reaching 3% of soil carbon, pointing to a stabilized SOM. Potential soil CO2 effluxes differed significantly according to their plot aspect: northeast (NE)-aspect soils presented higher CO2 effluxes than southwest (SW)-aspect soils. Soil CO2 emissions decreased after ploughing as compared to virgin páramo; low CO2 effluxes were still observed during cropping periods, increasing progressively to reach the highest values after 4-5 y of fallow. In all cases, experimental C mineralization data was fitted to a double exponential kinetic model. High soil labile C pool variability was observed, and two different trends were identified: NE-oriented soils showed more labile C and a wider range of values than SW-facing soils. Labile C positively correlated with CO2 effluxes and negatively with its instantaneous mineralization rate. The instantaneous mineralization rate of the recalcitrant C pool positively correlated with %C evolved as CO2 and negatively with soil C and Al2O3 contents, suggesting the importance of aluminum on SOM stability. The CO2 effluxes from these ecosystems, as well as the proportion of soil C released to the atmosphere, seem to depend not only on the size of the labile C pool but also on the accessibility of the more stabilized SOM. Therefore, fallow agriculture produces moderate changes in SOM quality and temporarily alters the CO2 emission capacity of these soils.