A structural model of the relationships between perceived control and adaptation to illness in women with breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether perceived control produces better adaptation to illness in breast cancer patients in stages I or II. DESIGN: Longitudinal, 1-year following study. METHODS: One hundred and one women were assessed on five occasions: one week after surgery, and again 1, 3, 6 and 12 months later, using, among other measures, the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). RESULTS: Structural equation models confirmed that patients with higher perceived control showed better adaptation to illness in all five assessments. CONCLUSIONS: These data fit well with previous research and suggest that psychological interventions which emphasize a sense of personal control would be effective in enhancing well-being in breast cancer patients at the early stages.

Vacuna pentavalente frente a rotavirus: Rotateq(R) / A pentavalent rotavirus vaccine: RotaTeq(R)

No disponible

Papel de las vacunas en la prevención de cáncer de cérvix / Prevention of cervical cancer with vaccines

Revisión sobre la situación actual de las vacunasfrente al papilomavirus humano (VPH). La infecciónpor papilomavirus humano es una infección frecuenteen todo el mundo. Existen más de 100 tipos distintosde VPH de los que al menos 15 son oncogénicos.La infección persistente por los tipos oncogénicosde VPH se relaciona con la mayor parte de loscasos de cáncer de cuello uterino y de las lesionesintraepiteliales precancerosas. Por tanto el desarrollode una vacuna frente al VPH supone una importantemedida de salud pública para prevenir las lesionescervicales precancerosas y el cáncer cervical.Actualmente hay dos vacunas basadas en viriones(partículas virus-like L1) que están en fasesavanzadas de desarrollo clínico y han sido presentadaspara registro. Una es tetravalente (VPH 6, 11,16, 18) y la otra es bivalente (VPH 16, 18)

This review focuses on the current situation of thehuman papilomavirus (HPV) vaccines. HPV infectionis a common infection worldwide. There are morethan 100 types of HPV of which approximately 15are oncogenic. Persistent infection with oncogenictypes of HPV may lead to cervical cancer and precancerouscervical lesions. Development of an HPVvaccine it is an important public health measure toprevent cervical cancer and precancerous cervicallesions.There are two HPV L1 virus-like-particle (VLP)vaccines that have been submitted to get their licence,one is a tetravalent (HPV 6, 11, 16, 18) vaccineand the other a bivalent (HPV 16, 18) one

Dietary patterns and associated lifestyles in preconception, pregnancy and postpartum.

OBJECTIVE: To identify dietary patterns in women who are planning immediate pregnancy in preconception, weeks 6, 10, 26 and 38 of pregnancy, and 6 months postpartum, and to describe how particular lifestyles, the body mass index (BMI) and sociodemographic factors are associated to these patterns. DESIGN: Longitudinal study throughout the reproductive cycle of food consumption carried out in a Spanish Mediterranean city. SETTING: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Rovira i Virgili University. SUBJECTS: In total, 80 healthy female volunteers who were planning immediate pregnancy. INTERVENTIONS: A seven-consecutive-day dietary record was used to evaluate the dietary intake. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the main dietary patterns in each of the periods. Fitted multiple linear regression models were used to study the associations between the lifestyle and sociodemographic variables, and each dietary pattern. RESULTS: The 'sweetened beverages and sugars' pattern was identified from preconception to 6 months postpartum and the 'vegetables and meat' pattern to the end of pregnancy. The 'sweetened beverages and sugars' pattern is positively associated with smoking and negatively associated with physical activity before conception and in the first trimester of pregnancy. The 'vegetables and meat' pattern is negatively associated with the BMI during the preconception period and positively associated with age in weeks 10 and 38 of pregnancy. It is shown that the patterns do not change significantly throughout the period studied. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified two stable dietary patterns from preconception to postpartum. The 'sweetened beverages and sugars' pattern is associated with habits of risk for the health of the pregnant woman and her offspring. SPONSORSHIP: 'Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología' (CICYT: ALI89-0388) and 'Instituto de Salud Carlos III', RCMN (C03/08), Madrid, Spain'.

Infección respiratoria por Chlamydias / Chlamydial respiratory infections

Objetivo: Describir las clamidiasis respiratorias diagnosticadas en el Hospital de Basurto (Bilbao) los cuatro últimos años (Junio del 93 a Mayo del 97). Diseño: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo basado en la revisión de historias clínicas partiendo de casos con serología y clínica compatibles. Resultados: Encontramos 12 casos de infección por Chlamydia verificados con la técnica de ELISA (inespecífica para las tres especies de Chlamydia) que se confirmaron tras Inmunofluorescencia como infección por Chlamydia pneumoniae de las que describimos clinica (fiebre el 100 porciento, tos el 75 %, crepitantes el 75 %, expectoración el 50 %...), diagnóstico (Neumonía con condensación radiológica en el 91,6 %) y tratamiento (doxiciclina, eritromicina...). Conclusiones: Destacar la escasa presencia de casos infectados por C. pneumoniae y la ausencia de C. psittaci en este medio hospitalario durante ese periodo (AU)