Covid-19 appearance and fast spreading took by surprise the international community. Collaboration between researchers, public health workers and politicians has been established to deal with the epidemic. One important contribution from researchers in epidemiology is the analysis of trends so that both current state and short-term future trends can be carefully evaluated. Gompertz model has shown to correctly describe the dynamics of cumulative confirmed cases, since it is characterized by a decrease in growth rate that is able to show the effect of control measures. Thus, it provides a way to systematically quantify the Covid-19 spreading velocity. Moreover, it allows to carry out short-term predictions and long-term estimations that may facilitate policy decisions and the revision of in-place confinement measures and the development of new protocols. This model has been employed to fit the cumulative cases of Covid-19 from several Chinese provinces and from other countries with a successful containment of the disease. Results show that there are systematic differences in spreading velocity between countries. In countries that are in the initial stages of the Covid-19 outbreak, model predictions provide a reliable picture of its short-term evolution and may permit to unveil some characteristics of the long-term evolution. These predictions can also be generalized to short-term hospital and Intensive Care Units (ICU) requirements, which together with the equivalent predictions on mortality provide key information for health officials.
There is increasing attention about managing the adverse effects of adjuvant therapy (Chemotherapy and anti-estrogen treatment) for breast cancer survivors (BCSs). Vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA), caused by decreased levels of circulating estrogen to urogenital receptors, is commonly experienced by this patients. Women receiving antiestrogen therapy, specifically aromatase inhibitors, often suffer from vaginal dryness, itching, irritation, dyspareunia, and dysuria, collectively known as genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), that it can in turn lead to pain, discomfort, impairment of sexual function and negatively impact on multiple domains of quality of life (QoL). The worsening of QoL in these patients due to GSM symptoms can lead to discontinuation of hormone adjuvant therapies and therefore must be addressed properly. The diagnosis of VVA is confirmed through patient-reported symptoms and gynecological examination of external structures, introitus, and vaginal mucosa. Systemic estrogen treatment is contraindicated in BCSs. In these patients, GSM may be prevented, reduced and managed in most cases but this requires early recognition and appropriate treatment, but it is normally undertreated by oncologists because of fear of cancer recurrence, specifically when considering treatment with vaginal estrogen therapy (VET) because of unknown levels of systemic absorption of estradiol. Lifestyle modifications and nonhormonal treatments (vaginal moisturizers, lubricants, and gels) are the first-line treatment for GSM both in healthy women as BCSs, but when these are not effective for symptom relief, other options can be considered, such as VET, ospemifene, local androgens, intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (prasterone), or laser therapy (erbium or CO2 Laser). The present data suggest that these therapies are effective for VVA in BCSs; however, safety remains controversial and a there is a major concern with all of these treatments. We review current evidence for various nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapeutic modalities for GSM in BCSs and highlight the substantial gaps in the evidence for safe and effective therapies and the need for future research. We include recommendations for an approach to the management of GSM in women at high risk for breast cancer, women with estrogen-receptor positive breast cancers, women with triple-negative breast cancers, and women with metastatic disease.
Objective: This study aimed to describe neurodevelopment in fetal growth restriction children at the age of six. Secondly, we tried to demonstrate influencing factors that can improve or exacerbate this development, as well as predictive factors that might select a population at risk to assist with early childhood support. Method: It was a study of 70 children affected with FGR. FGR was based on these definitions: birth weight below the 3rd percentile or birth weight below the 10th percentile with an abnormal hemodynamic Doppler study. Neurodevelopment was assessed at 6 years old by means of Batelle Development Inventory. A global development quotient under a 100 score was considered a neurodevelopment delay. All variables regarding pregnancy care, delivery episode, postpartum, neonatal care, sociodemographic issues, and the need for support in the first years were studied. Results: The mean gestational age at diagnosis was 33.14 weeks (standard deviation (SD = 4.31), with 32.9% of early-onset diagnoses. The mean gestational age at delivery was 35.61 (SD = 3.21), and the cesarean rate was 64.3%. The average age of the children at the moment of the evaluation was 76.20-month-old (SD = 3.70). The mean global development quotient was 97.28 (SD = 13.97). We were able to record a 57.1% of global development delay. In the cases of cognition, only 17.1% of the children registered a delay. Motor and communication skills were the most frequently affected. We discovered that socioeconomic status was positively related to the global development quotient, as well as both gestational age at delivery and middle cerebral artery pulsatility index was positively related to the global development quotient. Conclusions: We found a higher neurodevelopment delay rate (57.1%). We could relate a higher gestational age at delivery and a higher MCA percentile with better global neurodevelopment quotients.
<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The aim of this study was to investigate whether postmenopausal women with breast cancer (BC) on adjuvant aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy have a higher prevalence of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Second, the aim was to determine the quality of life (QoL) and level of anxiety depending on whether or not they are AI users. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A prospective cross-sectional study involving 168 patients was performed. Three questionnaires were carried out: sexual functioning was evaluated with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), while the EORTC QLQ-BR23 measures to study QoL in patients with BC and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire (trait and status) were used to assess anxiety status in patients under treatment with AIs or not. <b><i>Results:</i></b> 47.6% (80/168) of the postmenopausal BC survivors were not sexually active (mean time after surgery: 48.6 months) despite a relatively low mean age (56.43 years). Postmenopausal AI-treated women had significantly worse sexual function as measured by the FSFI (23.40 ± 5.26 vs. 30.16 ± 2.24; <i>p</i> = 0.000). There were significant differences between both groups in all domains, except orgasm. The QoL score was 37.67 ± 7.38 in AI users versus 39.00 ± 1.44 among nonusers (<i>p</i> = 0.053). Patients under endocrine treatment also presented STAI scores significantly higher (25.83 ± 4.99 vs. 19.00 ± 7.12; <i>p</i> = 0.000). Trait anxiety was high in both groups, but this was not statistically significant. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> We observed a high prevalence of sexual inactivity among BC survivors regardless of AI use. Patients with AI use presented significantly higher prevalence of FSD, worse QoL, and greater anxiety.
Asymptomatic postmenopausal women with ER-positive breast cancer have a very high prevalence of baseline subclinical endometrial abnormalities. Therefore, endometrial screening before tamoxifen treatment may be useful in all of these patients, and we believe that it should be performed by hysteroscopy in patients at high risk (obese and older women).
Epidemiological data reveal an increase in incidence and mortality by breast cancer (BC) associated with obesity exclusively in postmenopausal women. 1 A meta-analysis revealed that Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) presence can be associated with a moderate increase in risk of developing a BC during postmenopause and a reduction in their survival. 2 There is only one study 3 about the link between MetS and pathological prognosis factors in BC, employing criteria not widely used in previous studies. The goal of our study was to investigate if tumor biology of BC in postmenopausal women with MetS at diagnosis time is more aggressive than it is in those women who do not have it.A cross sectional study was carried out in 285 Caucasian postmenopausal women with BC. Patients were included only if they had amenorrhea ≥1 year and had FSH > 40 mUI/mL, no personal history of cancer, were not receiving neoadjuvant therapy, were not receiving or had not received any hormonal therapy (HT) during the last 12 months, had not gone on a strictly restricted diet in the last 12 months, had not previously undergone abdominoplasty, did not suffer from carcinoma in situ, and signed the informed consent form.MetS was diagnosed if three or more of the following five criteria (ATP-III-NCEP) are met 4 : Waist circumference ≥88 cm in women;HDL-Co ≤ 50 mg/dL in women or those who were in treatment for this kind of lipids alteration; TG ≥ 150 mg/dL or be in treatment for this kind of lipids alteration; fasting plasma glucose ≥100 mg/dL or previously diagnosed type 2 diabetes, or to be in treatment for hyperglycemia; systolic blood pressure ≥130 mm/Hg or diastolic ≥85 mg/ Hg, or to be in treatment for previously diagnosed hypertension. Central obesity was defined by a waist circumference ≥80 cm, according to the new recommendations for European women of International Diabetes Foundation (IDF). 5 Clinical and demographic variables of women, anthropometric differences, obesity and central adiposity prevalence and prognosis tumor characteristics were compared in the two different women groups (with or without MetS). Statistical significance was established by P < 0.05. The study included 168 postmenopausal women with BC. 53.5% fulfilled MetS criteria. There no significant differences among clinical and demographic variables between both groups. Patients with MetS presented statistically higher basal glucose levels (119.6 ± 36.3 mg/ dL vs 96.2 ± 14.8 mg/dL; P = 0.00), in serum TG (165.6 ± 57.9 mg/ dL vs 92.5 ± 26.4 mg/dL; P = 0.00) and significantly lower in HDLco concentrations regarding without MetS. (50.7 ± 17.2 mg/dL vs 66.6 ± 15.5 mg/dL; P = 0.00). Most of the patients in Non-MetS group (67.9%) presented two Met criteria, while most of the patients in MetS group (68.8%) only fulfilled three MetS criteria.Several tumor characteristics are shown in Table 1. In the MetS
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