Nutrient Patterns and Their Food Sources in an International Study Setting: Report from the EPIC Study

Compared to food patterns, nutrient patterns have been rarely used particularly at international level. We studied, in the context of a multi-center study with heterogeneous data, the methodological challenges regarding pattern analyses. We identified nutrient patterns from food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study and used 24-hour…

Preoperative use of statins does not improve outcomes and development of acute renal failure after cardiac surgery. A propensity score analysis of ARIAM-Andalucía database

Statin use prior to cardiac surgery has been reported to improve outcomes in the postoperative period because of other effects apart from decreasing lipid levels. Objective of the study was to analyse mortality and acute renal failure (ARF) during the cardiac surgery postoperative period in patients treated with or without statins. METHODS: This prospective cohort…

Alteration of Amino Acid and Biogenic Amine Metabolism in Hepatobiliary Cancers: Findings from a Prospective Cohort Study

Perturbations in levels of amino acids (AA) and their derivatives are observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Yet, it is unclear whether these alterations precede or are a consequence of the disease, nor whether they pertain to anatomically related cancers of the intrahepatic bile duct (IHBC), and gallbladder and extrahepatic biliary tract (GBTC). Circulating standard AA,…

Clinical intervals and diagnostic characteristics in a cohort of prostate cancer patients in Spain: a multicentre observational study

Background: Little is known about the healthcare process for patients with prostate cancer, mainly because hospital-based data are not routinely published. The main objective of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics of prostate cancer patients, the, diagnostic process and the factors that might influence intervals from consultation to diagnosis and from diagnosis to treatment.…

Prolactin Determinants in Healthy Women: A Large Cross-Sectional Study within the EPIC Cohort

Background: Experimental and epidemiologic data suggest that higher circulating prolactin is associated with breast cancer risk; however, how various risk factors for breast cancer influence prolactin levels in healthy women is not clear. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional associations between several suggested reproductive and lifestyle risk factors for breast cancer and circulating prolactin among pre- and…

Effectiveness of the cold chain control procedure in the retail sector in Southern Spain

The official procedure adopted in Andalusia (Southern Spain) for implementing the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) flexibility criteria for the control of the cold chain in the retail self-service sector set out in Regulation (CE) 852/2004 is based on a daily determination of the display temperature of the equipment. The main objective of…

Cuestiones controvertidas en evaluación económica (II): medidas de resultado en salud de las intervenciones sanitarias

En este segundo artículo, de una serie de tres, debatiremos, empleando la técnica Metaplan, sobre cuestiones controvertidas de las medidas de resultado en salud en la evaluación económica de intervenciones sanitarias (EEIS). Las cuatro áreas de debate se centraron en: elección de las medidas de resultado en salud: en abstracto ninguna medida es superior a…

El valor afectivo de los fragmentos del cuerpo: dimensiones culturales de la ‪donación de órganos‬ en la España democrática

In this paper we analyze the emotionality linked to the medical technology of organ transplants during the 1980s in Spain. Using the newspapers ABC, El Pais, and other visual materials, we explore the individual feelings expressed in the media by donors and receptors. More importantly, we expose the «emotionology» that emphasized solidarity as a source…