Relation between temperature and mortality in thirteen Spanish cities
In this study we examined the shape of the association between temperature and mortality in 13 Spanish cities representing a wide range of climatic and socio-demographic conditions. The temperature value linked with minimum mortality (MMT) and the slopes before and after the turning point (MMT) were calculated. Most cities showed a V-shaped temperature-mortality relationship. MMTs were generally higher in cities with warmer climates. Cold and heat effects also depended on climate: effects were greater in hotter cities but lesser in cities with higher variability. The effect of heat was greater than the effect of cold. The effect of cold and MMT was, in general, greater for cardio-respirator…
It is time to abandon “Expected bladder capacity.” Systematic review and new models for children's normal maximum voided volumes
Background There is an agreement to use simple formulae (expected bladder capacity and other age based linear formulae) as bladder capacity benchmark. But real normal child's bladder capacity is unknown. Aims To offer a systematic review of children's normal bladder capacity, to measure children's normal maximum voided volumes (MVVs), to construct models of MVVs and to compare them with the usual formulae. Methods Computerized, manual and grey literature were reviewed until February 2013. Epidemiological, observational, transversal, multicenter study. A consecutive sample of healthy children aged 5–14 years, attending Primary Care centres with no urologic abnormality were selected. Particip…
Patrones de frecuentación y factores asociados al ingreso en el hospital de las urgencias hospitalarias por asma y por enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica
El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir las caracteristicas epidemiologicas de las urgencias por asma y por enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva cronica atendidas en el Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valencia, asi como analizar los factores que se asocian a los ingresos hospitalarios por dichos procesos. Para ello se revisaron todas las historias clinicas de urgencias medicas de mayores de 14 anos del mencionado hospital correspondientes al periodo 1993-1995 y se identificaron las urgencias por asma y enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva cronica segun un protocolo establecido. Tras un analisis descriptivo de las variables sociodemograficas se analizaron las series temporales del numero de urgenc…
Postovulatory Aging of Oocytes Decreases Reproductive Fitness and Longevity of Offspring1
We analyzed the long-term effects of postovulatory aging of mouse oocytes on reproductive fitness and longevity of offspring. Hybrid (C57BL/6JIco 3 CBA/JIco) parental generation (F0) females were artificially inseminated at 13 h (;1 h postovulation) or 22 h (;10 h postovulation) after GnRH injection. Reproductive fitness of first generation (F1) females was tested from the age of 28 wk until the end of their reproductive life. In males, the testing period ranged from the age of 2 yr until their natural death. Experimental F1 females exhibited longer between-labor intervals, decreased frequency of litters, and lower total number of litters and offspring born. Experimental second generation (…
Changes in lung-cancer mortality trends in Spain
Several changes in smoking patterns over the past decades in Spain can be expected to result in a shift in lung-cancer mortality rates. We examined time trends in lung-cancer mortality from 1973-1997 using a log-linear Poisson age-period-cohort model. The standardized lung-cancer mortality rate for men almost doubled, from 31.4 per 100,000 in 1973 to 58.6 in 1997, with an average annual increase of 2.7%. Mortality increased for male generations born until 1952 as a consequence of the increasing cigarette smoking in successive birth cohorts. However, the slight downward trend observed for the 2 youngest generations suggests a more favorable outcome of the lung-cancer epidemic among Spanish m…
Spatial analysis of the relationship between mortality from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease and drinking water hardness
Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives. Previously published scientific papers have reported a negative correlation between drinking water hardness and cardiovascular mortality. Some ecologic and case-control studies suggest the protective effect of calcium and magnesium concentration in drinking water. In this article we present an analysis of this protective relationship in 538 municipalities of Comunidad Valenciana (Spain) from 1991-1998. We used the Spanish version of the Rapid Inquiry Facility (RIF) developed under the European Environment and Health Information System (EUROHEIS) research project. The strateg…
Pertussis in adults with persistent cough: a prospective follow up study in primary care.
Despite high coverage of pertussis vaccine, B. pertussis has remained endemic and adults are recognized as reservoir for infection among incompletely immunized infants. Between November 15th 2004 and November 14th 2006, 37 general practitioners, attending 56,658 adults, recruited all patients with persistent cough. A diagnosis of pertussis was considered in those with an unexplained cough, lasting 14 or more days and a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) IgG anti-Pertussis Toxin (PT). During the period of the study 86 patients presented with persistent cough (106 cases per 100,000 person-years). According to laboratory criteria, 35% were cla…
Statistical relationship between hardness of drinking water and cerebrovascular mortality in Valencia: a comparison of spatiotemporal models
The statistical detection of environmental risk factors in public health studies is usually difficult due to the weakness of their effects and their confounding with other covariates. Small area geographical data bring the opportunity of observing health response in a wide variety of exposure values. Temporal sequences of these geographical datasets are crucial to gaining statistical power in detecting factors. The spatiotemporal models required to perform the statistical analysis have to allow for spatial and temporal correlations, which are more easily modelled via hierarchical structures of hidden random factors. These models have produced important research activity during the last deca…
The size, shape, density and ring of the dwarf planet Haumea from a stellar occultation
Ortiz, José Luis et. al.
Long-Term Impact of Systolic Blood Pressure and Glycemia on the Development of Microalbuminuria in Essential Hypertension
The objective was to assess the temporal impact of factors related to the development of microalbuminuria during the follow-up of young adult normoalbuminurics with high-normal blood pressure or at stage 1 of essential hypertension. Prospective follow-up was conducted on 245 normoalbuminuric hypertensive subjects (mean age 40.9 years; 134 men; blood pressure 139.7/88.6 mm Hg; body mass index 28.5 kg/m 2 ) never treated previously with antihypertensive drugs, with yearly urinary albumin excretion measurements, until the development of microalbuminuria. After enrollment, patients were placed on usual care including nonpharmacological treatment or with an antihypertensive drug regime to achie…
Five Interpersonal Factors Are Predictive of the Response to Treatment of Major Depression With Antidepressants in Primary Care
Introduction: Factors relating to the interpersonal relationship between the patient and their physician and social environment are important components, which contribute to their response to treatment for major depressive disorder. This study aimed to assess the influence of optimism, perfectionism, therapeutic alliance, empathy, social support, and adherence to medication regimen in the response to antidepressant treatments in the context of normal primary care clinical practice.Method: We conducted a prospective study in which 24 primary care physicians administered sertraline or escitalopram to 89 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The response to treatment and remission…