Antimicrobial defined daily dose adjusted by weight: a proposal for antibiotic consumption measurement in children / Dosis diaria definida ajustada por peso: una propuesta para la medición de consumo antimicrobiano en pediatría

INTRODUCTION: Antimicrobial defined daily dose (DDD), has limitations for antimicrobial consumption measurement in paediatrics. An alternative DDD design applicable for children is proposed. METHODS: Children (< 16 years-old) from 10 Spanish hospitals during a 12-months period were included. Weight for age (50th percentile) was calculated for the median age of the cohort using standardized World Health Organization tables. DDD (g) for each antimicrobial was calculated by multiplying the obtained weight times the recommended dose (mg/kg) of the antimicrobial for the most common infectious indication. RESULTS: A total of 40,575 children were included. Median age was 4.17 (IQR: 1.36-8.98) and 4.81 (IQR: 1.42-9.60) years for boys and girls, respectively. Mean weight for this age was 17.08 kg. Standardized DDD for representative antimicrobials were calculated. CONCLUSIONS: A useful method for antimicrobial DDD measurement in paediatrics has been proposed and should be validated in future studies for its use in paediatric antimicrobial stewardship programmes

INTRODUCCIÓN: La dosis diaria definida (DDD), tiene limitaciones para la medición del consumo antimicrobiano en pediatría. Se propone un diseño aplicable en niños. MÉTODOS: Se incluyeron niños (< 16 años) de 10 hospitales españoles durante un periodo de 12 meses. A partir de la mediana de edad de la cohorte, utilizando tablas estandarizadas de la OMS, se obtuvo el peso correspondiente al percentil P50 de esa edad. Se calculó la DDD (gr) multiplicando el peso obtenido por la dosis recomendada (mg/kg) de cada antimicrobiano para su indicación más común. RESULTADOS: Un total de 40575 niños fueron incluidos. La mediana de edad fue 4,17 (RIQ: 1,36-8,98) y 4,81 (RIQ: 1,42-9,60) años para niños y niñas, respectivamente. Peso medio para la edad: 17,08 kg. DDD estandarizadas fueron calculadas para antimicrobianos representativos. CONCLUSIONES: Se ha propuesto un método útil para monitorizar consumo antimicrobiano en pediatría utilizando DDD adaptadas, que deberá validarse en futuros estudios

Antimicrobial defined daily dose adjusted by weight: a proposal for antibiotic consumption measurement in children.

INTRODUCTION: Antimicrobial defined daily dose (DDD), has limitations for antimicrobial consumption measurement in paediatrics. An alternative DDD design applicable for children is proposed. METHODS: Children (<16 years-old) from 10 Spanish hospitals during a 12-months period were included. Weight for age (50th percentile) was calculated for the median age of the cohort using standardized World Health Organization tables. DDD (g) for each antimicrobial was calculated by multiplying the obtained weight times the recommended dose (mg/kg) of the antimicrobial for the most common infectious indication. RESULTS: A total of 40,575 children were included. Median age was 4.17 (IQR: 1.36-8.98) and 4.81 (IQR: 1.42-9.60) years for boys and girls, respectively. Mean weight for this age was 17.08kg. Standardized DDD for representative antimicrobials were calculated. CONCLUSIONS: A useful method for antimicrobial DDD measurement in paediatrics has been proposed and should be validated in future studies for its use in paediatric antimicrobial stewardship programmes.

[Informal caretakers in Spain, their profile and care provided]. / Los cuidadores informales en España. Perfil y cuidados prestados.

The authors carried out a systematic search in main data bases and a methodological content review by paired authors about selected publications. The authors reviewed and analyzed 332 articles about informal caretakers and they chose 182 which complied with their selection criteria. The profile for informal caretakers of persons aged over 65 in Spain is identified as well as the type of care he/she provides. It is worth highlighting the introduction of a new factor in caretaking for the elderly during recent years at a national Spanish level, and since the 1990s on an international level: paid non-professional immigrant caretakers. This phenomenon makes the different traits which ethnic minority caretakers have reflect on the dynamics and the results of this study.

Utility of ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and 16S mitochondrial DNA sequences for species identification and phylogenetic inference within the Rhinonyssus coniventris species complex (Acari: Rhinonyssidae).

The complete internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), 5.8S rDNA, and ITS2 region of the ribosomal DNA and a 390-bp region of the 16S rDNA gene from five taxa belonging to Rhinonyssus (Rhinonyssus vanellus, Rhinonyssus tringae, Rhinonyssus neglectus, Rhinonyssus echinipes from Kentish plover, and Rhinonyssus echinipes from grey plover) were sequenced to examine the level of sequence variation and the taxonomic levels to show utility in phylogeny estimation. Our data show that these molecular markers can help to discriminate between species and populations included in the Rhinonyssus coniventris complex (R. tringae, R. neglectus, R. echinipes), which are morphologically very close and difficult to separate by classic methods. A comparative study with sequences from other rhinonyssid mites previously published was also carried out. The resulting phylogenetic tree inferred from ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region sequences obtained in this paper, together with those from other 11 taxa of rhinonyssid, shows slight differences from the current taxonomy of the Rhinonyssidae. This study appeals for the revision of the taxonomic status of the R. coniventris complex, as well as for the species included within it.