[Experience with nebulised colistin in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis colonised with Pseudomonas aeruginosa]. / Experiencia con colistina nebulizada en pacientes con bronquiectasias no fibrosis quística colonizadas por Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic colonisation/infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa of the bronchiectasis is related to a faster deterioration of lung function, an increase in the number of exacerbations and a higher morbidity and mortality. Nebulised colistin decreases bacteria load. Therefore, a reduction in the number and in the severity of exacerbations and a delay of pulmonary decline is expected. The main objective is to evaluate if the treatment with nebulised colistin, for at least 6 months reduces the number of admissions and visits to the emergency department. METHODS: Observational, retrospective and non-interventionist study carried out in an organizational structure with an integrated management. Patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis colonised / infected by P. aeruginosa, older than 18 years, were selected. Patients must have received nebulized colistin during at least 6 months. Clinical, microbiological and therapeutic data from the patients were collected from the SERGAS computerized clinical history (IANUS® v.4.20.0503) and the electronic prescription, which were divided into two time periods: 1) 6 months pre-treatment and during the treatment and 2) 12 months pre-treatment and during the treatment, in those who completed 1 year of treatment. RESULTS: Forty-four patients were included and of these, 29 (65.9%) had a follow-up of 12 months. The use of nebulized colistin decreased significantly the number of visits to the emergency (at 6 months), the frequency and duration of hospitalizations admissions (at 6 and 12 months), the antibiotic consumption (at 6 and 12 months) and the positive cultures. The treatment was well tolerated in almost all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment with nebulised colistin during 6 and 12 months of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, colonised/infected by P. aeruginosa, seems beneficial for the patient, from the clinical and quality of life point of view, and could reduce the economic cost of the process.

Effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors on the glucose levels in diabetic and nondiabetic patients.

CONTEXT: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are used in different types of cancers due to their good profile of adverse reactions and their convenience in the oral administration. Some studies describe that certain TKIs are associated with changes in the glycemic profile of the patients. AIMS: This study aims to determine if treatment with ITK affects to serum glucose levels in clinical practice. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A retrospective study was carried out in 136 episodes (112 patients treated with sorafenib, sunitinib, imatinib, dasatinib, or nilotinib). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The serum glucose levels were analyzed before treatment and after months 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12 of treatment. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Statistical analysis was completed with SPSS version 20 for Windows. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the serum glucose levels before treatment between diabetic and nondiabetic patients, but not between the average blood glucose readings before treatment and the average of the subsequent readings, once their treatment had begun. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study do not reproduce the results of the literature since changes in the serum glucose levels have not been found in this sample of patients.

Understanding memory effects in Li-ion batteries: evidence of a kinetic origin in TiO2 upon hydrogen annealing.

Memory effects in Li-ion battery materials have been explained on the basis of the thermodynamics of many-particles body, however the role of the (de-)intercalation kinetics is not yet clear. We demonstrate that kinetic aspects, specifically Li-ion mobility, are determining the magnitude of the memory effect in TiO2 by studying samples with different levels of oxygen vacancies.

Understanding surface reactivity of Si electrodes in Li-ion batteries by in operando scanning electrochemical microscopy.

In operando SECM is employed to monitor the evolution of the electrically insulating character of a Si electrode surface during (de-)lithiation. The solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) formed on Si electrodes is shown to be intrinsically electrically insulating. However, volume changes upon (de-)lithiation lead to the loss of the protecting character of the initially formed SEI.

Demonstrating the steady performance of iron oxide composites over 2000 cycles at fast charge-rates for Li-ion batteries.

The feasibility of using iron oxides as negative electrode materials for safe high-power Li-ion batteries is demonstrated by the carbon-coated FeOx/CNT composite synthesized by controlled pyrolysis of ferrocene, which delivered a specific capacity retention of 84% (445 mA h g(-1)) after 2000 cycles at 2000 mA g(-1) (4C).

Solid electrolyte interphase in semi-solid flow batteries: a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The formation of the alkyl carbonate-derived solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) enables the use of active materials operating at very cathodic potentials in Li-ion batteries. However, the SEI in semi-solid flow batteries results in a hindered electron transfer between a fluid electrode and the current collector restricting the operating potentials to ca. 0.8 V vs. Li/Li(+) for EC-based electrolytes.

Scanning electrochemical microscopy of Li-ion batteries.

Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are receiving increasing attention over the past decade due to their high energy density. This energy storage technology is expected to continue improving the performance, especially for its large-scale deployment in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and full electric vehicles (EVs). Such improvement requires having a large variety of analytical techniques at scientists' disposal in order to understand and address the multiple mechanisms and processes occurring simultaneously in this complex system. This perspective article aims to highlight the strength and potential of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) in this field. After a brief description of a LIB system and the most commonly used techniques in this field, the unique information provided by SECM is illustrated by discussing several recent examples from the literature.

Aging effects of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles in Li-ion batteries.

Anatase TiO2 nanoparticles with a diameter of 5 nm have been investigated as a negative intercalation electrode material for Li-ion batteries. The focus was on the stability upon cycling within four different potential ranges, namely from 1.5, 1.2, 1.0 and 0.7 V vs. Li/Li(+) as the lower potential limit to 3.0 V vs. Li/Li(+) as the upper potential limit. While a lower cut-off potential allows for a higher amount of charge stored, the irreversible processes induce a faster fading of the specific charge. Galvanostatic cycling (GC), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) experiments suggest that SEI formation has a negligible contribution to the irreversible processes. It appears more plausible that an irreversible degradation of the bulk phase occurs, leading to a decrease in the amount of active sites. Moreover, it has been observed that this degradation appears as an anodic shift of the thermodynamic potential of (de-)intercalation of Li-ions in the TiO2 structure. The shift is caused by a change in the activity of Li-ions in the solid phase, which is driven by changes in the ionic atmosphere of the crystal.

Efectividad y toxicidad de erlotinib en la farmacoterapia del cáncer de pulmón no microcítico / Efficacy and toxicity of erlotinib in non-small cell lung cancer treatment

Objetivo Evaluar la efectividad y toxicidad del erlotinib en pacientes con cáncer de pulmón no microcítico. Métodos Los pacientes se han seleccionado de una base de datos de dispensación a pacientes ambulatorios. El periodo de tiempo seleccionado fue de enero 2008 a enero 2010 y para la recolección de datos se empleó la historia clínica del paciente en formato electrónico y en papel. Como medida de respuesta hemos usado los criterios RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors), también hemos medido el tiempo hasta la progresión y la supervivencia global. La toxicidad se evaluó según la Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE).Resultados Se encontraron respuestas parciales en 5/46 pacientes y criterios de enfermedad estable en 14/46 pacientes. El tiempo hasta progresión de la enfermedad fue 4,01 meses (mediana 2,33 meses) y la supervivencia global 5,63 meses (mediana 4,67). Las toxicidades más frecuentes fueron exantema, anorexia, astenia, infecciones y efectos adversos gastrointestinales. Los pacientes que desarrollaron toxicidad cutánea tuvieron un tiempo hasta la progresión y una supervivencia global mayor (estadísticamente significativo) que el grupo que no la desarrolló (media de tiempo hasta la progresión: 7,87 meses versus 2,76; media supervivencia global: 10,74 meses versus 3,98).Conclusiones Los hallazgos del análisis de supervivencia indican una efectividad menor en nuestra población de pacientes en relación con otras publicaciones y las reacciones adversas describen el patrón esperado. A pesar de tener en cuenta nuestra principal limitación, el tamaño de la muestra, podría tratarse de una alternativa para los pacientes con cáncer de pulmón no microcítico (AU)

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of erlotinib in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Method Patients were selected from an outpatients’ dispensing database. The time period selected was from January 2008 to January 2010. Data was collected from patient's medical history - electronic and paper based. We used Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) to measure response and measured time to progression and overall survival. Toxicity was evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE).Results We found partial response in 5/46 patients and stable disease in 14/46 patients. Time to disease progression was 4.01 months (median 2.33 months) and overall survival was 5.63 months (median 4.67). The most common toxicities were rash, anorexia, asthenia, infection and gastrointestinal side effects. Patients who developed skin toxicity had a (statistically significant) greater time to progression and overall survival rate than the group that did not develop this toxicity (mean time to progression: 2.76 vs. 7.87 months; mean overall survival: 10.74 months vs. 3.98).Conclusions Survival analysis findings suggest lower efficacy in our patient population in comparison with data seen in other publications, and adverse events followed the expected pattern. Although our greatest limitation was sample size, which must be kept in mind, this therapy could be an alternative for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (AU)

[Efficacy and toxicity of erlotinib in non-small cell lung cancer treatment]. / Efectividad y toxicidad de erlotinib en la farmacoterapia del cáncer de pulmón no microcítico.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of erlotinib in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. METHOD: Patients were selected from an outpatients' dispensing database. The time period selected was from January 2008 to January 2010. Data was collected from patient's medical history - electronic and paper based. We used Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) to measure response and measured time to progression and overall survival. Toxicity was evaluated according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). RESULTS: We found partial response in 5/46 patients and stable disease in 14/46 patients. Time to disease progression was 4.01 months (median 2.33 months) and overall survival was 5.63 months (median 4.67). The most common toxicities were rash, anorexia, asthenia, infection and gastrointestinal side effects. Patients who developed skin toxicity had a (statistically significant) greater time to progression and overall survival rate than the group that did not develop this toxicity (mean time to progression: 2.76 vs. 7.87 months; mean overall survival: 10.74 months vs. 3.98). CONCLUSIONS: Survival analysis findings suggest lower efficacy in our patient population in comparison with data seen in other publications, and adverse events followed the expected pattern. Although our greatest limitation was sample size, which must be kept in mind, this therapy could be an alternative for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.