Current evidence seems to support prompt inclusion of a list of ingredients, nutritional information (usually only kcal) and health warnings on labels. Standard drink and serving size is useful only when combined with other health education efforts. A definition of 'moderate intake' and recommended drinking guidelines are best suited to other contexts.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a process that leads to the functional disability of the individual in a relatively short period of time, with a very important limitation of autonomy and affecting the quality of life. We wished to determine the economic burden (direct and indirect costs), as well as health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with ALS in Spain. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 63 patients with ALS during 2004. A retrospective assessment of the use of resources was obtained through questionnaires completed by the patients and/or the patients' caregivers. The approach used was a cost-of-illness study based on a societal perspective. We assessed the HRQoL with the EQ-5D. Mean annual cost per patient with ALS was euro36,194. The most important categories of costs were informal care, early retirement, medications, and orthopaedic devices. The mean EQ-5D index score was 0.18 and the mean EQ-5D VAS score was 29. Considerations of the costs related to caregiving to cope with the patients' disabilities, as well as the high indirect costs resulting from early retirement in patients with ALS, should become a priority for health authorities in Spain. The patients' HRQoL was very low and substantially influenced by the degree of severity of ALS.

Background: Addressing surgical site infection (SSI) is accomplished, in part, through studies that attempt to clarify the nature of many essential factors in the control of SSI. We sought to examine the link between multiple risk factors, including environmental factors, and SSI for prevention management. Methods:We conducted a longitudinal prospective study to identify SSIs in all patients who underwent interventions in 2014 in 8 selected hospitals on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Risk factors related to the operating theatre included level of fungi and bacterial contamination, temperature and humidity, air renewal and differential air pressure. Patient-related variables included age, sex, comorbidity, nutrition level and transfusion. Other factors were antibiotic prophylaxis, electric versus manual shaving, American Society of Anaesthesiologists physical status classification, type of intervention, duration of the intervention and preoperative stay.Results: Superficial SSI was most often associated with environmental factors, such as environmental contamination by fungi (from 2 colony-forming units) and bacteria as well as surface contamination. When there was no contamination in the operating room, no SSI was detected. Factors that determined deep and organ/space SSI were more often associated with patient characteristics (age, sex, transfusion, nasogastric feeding and nutrition, as measured by the level of albumin in the blood), type of intervention and preoperative stay. Antibiotic prophylaxis and shaving with electric razor were protective factors for both types of infection, whereas the duration of the intervention and the classification of the intervention as "dirty" were shared risk factors. Conclusion:Our results suggest the importance of environmental and surface contamination control to prevent SSI.Contexte : La lutte contre les infections du site opératoire (ISO) passe entre autres par des études visant à clarifier la nature de nombreux facteurs essentiels de contrôle. Nous avons donc cherché à examiner le lien entre divers facteurs de risque, notamment de nature environnementale, et les ISO, dans une optique de prévention.

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Evidence shows that objectives for detecting and controlling dyslipidemia are not being effectively met, and outcomes differ between men and women. This study aimed to assess gender-related differences in diagnostic inertia around dyslipidemia. This ambispective, epidemiological, cohort registry study included adults who presented to public primary health care centers in a Spanish region from 2008 to 2012, with dyslipidemia and without cardiovascular disease. Diagnostic inertia was defined as the registry of abnormal diagnostic parameters—but no diagnosis—on the person’s health record in a window of six months from inclusion. A total of 58,970 patients were included (53.7% women) with a mean age of 58.4 years in women and 57.9 years in men. The 6358 (20.1%) women and 4312 (15.8%) men presenting diagnostic inertia had a similar profile, although in women the magnitude of the association with younger age was larger. Hypertension showed a larger association with diagnostic inertia in women than in men (prevalence ratio 1.81 vs. 1.56). The overall prevalence of diagnostic inertia in dyslipidemia is high, especially in women. Both men and women have a higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Background Spain was initially one of the countries most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, the COVID-SCORE-10 study reported that the Spanish public’s perception of their government’s response to the pandemic was low. This study examines these perceptions in greater detail. Methods We employed an ordered logistic regression analysis using COVID-SCORE-10 data to examine the Spanish public’s perception of ten key aspects of their government’s COVID-19 control measures. These included support for daily needs, mental and general health services, communication, information and coordination, which were examined by gender, age, education level, having been affected by COVID-19, and trust in government´s success in addressing unexpected health threats. Results ´Trust in the government´ showed the greatest odds of positive perception for the ten measures studied. Odds of positive perception of communication significantly varied by gender, education level, and having been affected by COVID-19, whereas for information and coordination of disease control, odds significantly varied by gender and having been affected by COVID-19. Odds of positive perception for access to mental health services significantly varied by gender and education level. Age was not significant. Conclusion Public perception of the government’s pandemic response in Spain varied by socio-demographic and individual variables, particularly by reported trust in the government. Fostering public trust during health threats may improve perception of response efforts. Future efforts should tailor interventions that consider gender, education level, and whether people have been affected by COVID-19.

The COVID-19 epidemic has been a great challenge to health systems and especially hospitals. A prospective observational epidemiological study was planned as of February 26, 2020 in a tertiary hospital in the Valencia region. The total number of patients followed up with complete information during the first year was 2,448. Among other variables, the comorbidities of the patients were collected (and grouped in the Charson index), the stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), the co-infections, and the colonizations. Data on nosocomial infections due to said virus were also collected. The median days from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis were 4 + 4.6, while an additional 4.4 days had to pass for the patients to be admitted to the ICU. The factors associated with a higher risk of death were those with coinfection, especially with Candida auris [odds ratio (OR): 4.6], a situation that also occurred in the ICU (OR: 3.18). Charlson Index comorbidity and C. auris colonization were also very important both in general hospitalization and in the ICU.