BACKGROUND: Changes in lung cancer has been characterized by the increase of cases among women and the increase in adenocarcinomas among other histological subtypes. METHODS: Descriptive analysis of cases diagnosed with lung cancer in Hospital Virgen de las Nieves (Spain) from 1990 to 2010, based on five variables (age, sex, smoking, histology and pathological anatomy). The study establishes associations between these variables and compares the results with the literature. RESULTS: 2,026 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer in this period; 1,838 were males (90.7%) and 188 women (9.3%); 1,892 patients (93.4%) were smokers or ex-smokers and 134 (6.6%) had never smoked; the most frequent non-small cell histology types were squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma and it was the most frequent neoplasia in women and were associated with a lower tobacco consumption. CONCLUSIONS The large majority of lung cancer cases is associated with a history of smoking tobacco and there are histopathological differences according to gender and cumulative tobacco smoke load.
Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Smoking ; epidemiology ; Spain ; epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease of unknown cause that commonly affects the lungs, but frequently involves the skin. Sarcoidosis occurs worldwide and affects all ages and races that is more frequent away from the equator. The clinical presentation and severity of the disease vary between different ethnicities and races. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical spectrum and outcome of cutaneous sarcoidosis in Korean patients and to compare them with other ethnic groups. METHODS: A total of 33 patients diagnosed by histologic examination from January 2003 to August 2013 with cutaneous sarcoidosis were enrolled. The clinical features were obtained by reviewing medical records, clinical photographs, and radiological images. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 1:1.8, and the distribution of sarcoidosis by age showed peaks at the fourth decade, which was younger than other studies conducted in Korea. In our study, the most common cutaneous lesions were nodules (42%) while popular lesions were more commonly observed in the studies conducted in Taiwan and Spain. Systemic organ involvement was observed in 11 patients (34%) in our study but was observed in more than 60% of the patients in other ethnic groups. CONCLUSION: In the present study, cutaneous sarcoidosis was characterized by a marked female predominance and by high frequency in the fourth decade. Extracutaneous involvement was lower compared with other ethnic groups. The clinical spectrum of sarcoidosis in Koreans differed from other ethnic groups.
Continental Population Groups ; Epidemiology ; Ethnic Groups ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Male ; Medical Records ; Sarcoidosis* ; Skin ; Spain ; Taiwan

Animals ; Global Health ; History, 20th Century ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; pathogenicity ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; history ; virology ; Spain ; epidemiology ; Viral Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Zaire Ebola virus (EBOV) is a fatal human pathogen, with a high case fatality rate (CFR) averaging up to 78%. In March 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) was made aware of a ZEBOV outbreak in rural Guinea, West Africa. Epidemiologic investigation linked the clinical and laboratory confirmed cases with the presumed first fatality of the outbreak in December 2013. EBOV from Guinea is a separate clade from other ZEBOV strains reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Gabon. Since the outbreak in March, ZEBOV was also reported in Conakry, Guinea's capital and spread to other neighboring countries. In its largest outbreak, ZEBOV disease expanded through Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria and to Spain, the USA, and the UK. The WHO declared the 2013-2015 West African Ebola epidemic a public health emergency of international concern considering its presumable capacity for further international spread. Early manifestations of EVD (Ebola virus disease) include a high fever, body aches, malaise, and fatigue. Severe diarrhea and other gastrointestinal manifestations such as vomiting were common, while bleeding was a more sporadic finding. The fatality rate was 43% and highest in patients aged > or = 45 years and the overall fitted mean incubation period was 10.3 days (95% CI 9.9~10.7). We present a review of the literature on the emergence of Ebola, and the epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory records of patients in whom EVD was diagnosed in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, the USA, and Spain, its zoonotic origin, and the transmission of ZEBOV, as well as presenting original literature on the current Ebola outbreak.
Africa, Western* ; Congo ; Diarrhea ; Ebolavirus ; Emergencies ; Epidemiology ; Fatigue ; Fever ; Gabon ; Guinea ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Liberia ; Mali ; Mortality ; Nigeria ; Public Health ; Sierra Leone ; Spain ; Vomiting ; World Health Organization

Objective: Previous studies have shown that meteorological factors may increase COVID-19 mortality, likely due to the increased transmission of the virus. However, this could also be related to an increased infection fatality rate (IFR). We investigated the association between meteorological factors (temperature, humidity, solar irradiance, pressure, wind, precipitation, cloud coverage) and IFR across Spanish provinces ( Methods: We estimated IFR as excess deaths (the gap between observed and expected deaths, considering COVID-19-unrelated deaths prevented by lockdown measures) divided by the number of infections (SARS-CoV-2 seropositive individuals plus excess deaths) and conducted Spearman correlations between meteorological factors and IFR across the provinces. Results: We estimated 2,418,250 infections and 43,237 deaths. The IFR was 0.03% in < 50-year-old, 0.22% in 50-59-year-old, 0.9% in 60-69-year-old, 3.3% in 70-79-year-old, 12.6% in 80-89-year-old, and 26.5% in ≥ 90-year-old. We did not find statistically significant relationships between meteorological factors and adjusted IFR. However, we found strong relationships between low temperature and unadjusted IFR, likely due to Spain's colder provinces' aging population. Conclusion The association between meteorological factors and adjusted COVID-19 IFR is unclear. Neglecting age differences or ignoring COVID-19-unrelated deaths may severely bias COVID-19 epidemiological analyses.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; COVID-19/virology* ; Humans ; Meteorological Concepts ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics/statistics & numerical data* ; SARS-CoV-2/physiology* ; Spain/epidemiology* ; Weather ; Young Adult

INTRODUCTIONThis study assessed the presence of osteoporosis/osteopenia in patients with severe lithogenic activity and compared their metabolisms with those in patients without lithiasis or with mild lithogenic activity.

METHODSFrom a sample of 182 patients, those with osteopenia/osteoporosis at the hip and lumbar spine were studied separately in a two-pronged study. 66 patients with bone mineral densities (BMDs) < -1 standard deviation (SD) on a T-score scale at the hip were divided into three groups: group A1 without lithiasis (n = 15); group A2 with lithiasis and mild lithogenic activity (n = 22); and group A3 with lithiasis and severe lithogenic activity (n = 29). Similarly, 86 patients with BMDs < -1 SD on a T-score scale at the lumbar spine were divided into three groups: group B1 without lithiasis (n = 15); group B2 with lithiasis and mild lithogenic activity (n = 29); and group B3 with lithiasis and severe lithogenic activity (n = 42).

RESULTSPatients from group A3 exhibited significantly higher levels of bone remodelling markers as compared to groups A1 and A2. Urinalysis also revealed higher excretion of calcium in 24-hour assessments in this group. Patients from group B3 differed from groups B1 and B2 mainly in bone remodelling markers and 24-hour urinary calcium excretion, which were significantly elevated in patients from group B3.

CONCLUSIONPatients with calcium lithiasis and severe lithogenic activity in addition to osteopenia/osteoporosis present with higher levels of hypercalciuria and negative osseous balance, which possibly perpetuate and favour lithiasic activity.

Absorptiometry, Photon ; Adult ; Bone Density ; Bone Remodeling ; Calcium ; urine ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalciuria ; complications ; metabolism ; Incidence ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; diagnostic imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrolithiasis ; complications ; metabolism ; Osteoporosis ; epidemiology ; etiology ; metabolism ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Spain ; epidemiology

BACKGROUND: To analyze the incidence and clinical-microbiological characteristics of osteomyelitis (OM) in a tertiary Spanish hospital. METHODS: All cases diagnosed with OM between January 2007 and December 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. The variables examined include epidemiological characteristics, risk factors, affected bone, radiographic changes, histology, microbiological culture results, antibiotic treatment, and the need for surgery. RESULTS: Sixty-three cases of OM were diagnosed. Twenty-six patients (41.3%) had acute OM whereas 37 patients (58.7%) were classified as chronic OM. OM may result from haematogenous or contiguous microbial seeding. In this group, 49 patients (77.8%) presented with OM secondary to a contiguous source of infection and 14 patients had hematogenous OM (22.2%). Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly found microorganism. CONCLUSIONS: OM mainly affected patients with risk factors related to the presence of vascular diseases. Antibiotic treatment must be guided by susceptibility patterns of individual microorganisms, although it must be performed together with surgery in most of the cases.
Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Osteomyelitis/drug therapy/epidemiology/microbiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Spain/epidemiology ; Staphylococcal Infections ; Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Young Adult