Trinidad Dierssen-Sotos

Variables relacionadas con la satisfacción laboral: un estudio transversal a partir del modelo EFQM

Objectives: To identify the influence of the dimensions of people items and sociodemographic characteristics included in the EFQM model on high satisfaction of healthcare workers in a district hospital. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in November 2003. The questionnaire used was the personal satisfaction survey of the Basque Country (Spain). The outcome measure was a high degree of satisfaction (75th percentile or higher). Independent variables were sociodemographic and organizational characteristics. The association among variables was assessed using odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence interval (CI). Adjustment for confounders was performed by unconditional logistic regression. Results: On a scale from 0 to 10, the mean general satisfaction score was 5.95 (standard deviation, 2). Twenty-five percent of workers gave their general satisfaction with the organizational climate a score of 8 or more points. The most positively considered features were the environmental policy, hierarchical relations, promotion, and professional development. The most negatively viewed items were salary, knowledge and identification of objectives, and training. The variables most closely related to outcome were a favorable perception of training (adjusted OR = 5.04; 95% CI, 2.16-11.77) and recognition of the work performed (adjusted OR = 4.68; 95% CI, 2.2010.08). Sociodemographic factors had less influence on satisfaction. Conclusions: Almost half of the staff surveyed in our hospital were satisfied or highly satisfied with the organizational climate. Satisfaction was strongly associated with positive evaluation of organizational characteristics.

Evaluating the impact of a hand hygiene campaign on improving adherence.

We monitored compliance with hand hygiene (HH) by direct observation in 3 hospitals in Cantabria, Spain before and after implementation of an HH informational campaign, separately analyzing the effect of a training program. We report that training plus an informational campaign doubled the probability of HH, whereas the informational campaign without training decreased adherence, acting as a deleterious factor in HH adherence.

Prediction of 30-day cardiac-related-emergency-readmissions using simple administrative hospital data

BACKGROUND Control and reduction of cardiovascular-disease-related readmissions is clinically, logistically and politically challenging. Recent strategies focus on 30-day readmissions. A screening tool for the detection of potential cases is necessary to make further case management more efficient. METHODS Cohort study. Hospital administrative data were analyzed in order to obtain information about cardiac-related hospitalizations from 2003 to 2009 at a Spanish academic tertiary care center. Predictor-variables of admissions that presented or did not present 30-day cardiac-related readmission were compared. A prediction model was constructed and tested on a validation sample. Model performance was assessed for all cardiac diseases and for 24 main-cardiac-disease-sets. RESULTS The study sample was 35531 hospital-admissions. The model included 11 predictors: number of previous emergency admission in 180days, residence out of area, no procedure applied during hospitalization, major or minor therapeutic procedure applied during hospitalization, anemia, hypertensive disease, acute coronary syndrome, congestive heart failure, diabetes and renal disease. The performance indicators applied on all cardiac diseases were: C-statistic=0.75, Sensitivity=0.66, Specificity=0.70, Positive predictive value=0.10, Negative predictive value=0.98, Positive likelihood ratio=2.21 and Negative likelihood ratio=0.48. Diseases for discriminative prediction are: stenting, circulatory disorders, acute myocardial infarction and defibrillator and pacemaker implantation. CONCLUSIONS This study provides a prediction model for 30-day cardiac-related diseases based on available administrative data ready to be integrated as a screening tool. It has reasonable validity and can be used to increase the efficiency of case management.

Effect of cold temperatures on mortality in Cantabria (Northern Spain): a case-crossover study.

OBJECTIVES To determine the impact of low temperatures on mortality in a Spanish region that includes both rural and urban areas. STUDY DESIGN Case-crossover study. METHODS A case-crossover study was conducted on the impact of cold temperatures on mortality in Cantabria, a Spanish region which includes both rural and urban areas, in 2004-2005. Odds ratios for several cold weather indicators were estimated using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for humidity and wind speed. Zero- to 6-day lags in the temperature effect were considered. RESULTS Temperatures lower than the 5th percentile were strongly associated with mortality compared with temperatures above the 5th percentile (OR 3.40, 95% confidence interval 2.95-3.93 for 6-day lag). All temperature indices show a negative association with mortality; for instance, the maximum temperature had ORs of 0.71, 0.58, 0.32 and 0.16 for Quintiles 2-5 (reference: Quintile 1). This effect was common to all age groups. CONCLUSION Cold weather is strongly associated with mortality in small cities and rural areas.

Meta-analysis of genetic variability in the β-amyloid production, aggregation and degradation metabolic pathways and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Background –  Variants in genes encoding enzymes involved in production, aggregation or degradation of β‐amyloid are potential risk factors for sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Anti-TNF-α therapy reduces retinol-binding protein 4 serum levels in non-diabetic patients with psoriasis: a 6-month prospective study.

Retinol‐binding protein‐4 (RBP4), an adipokine considered as an emerging cardiometabolic risk factor, is increased in patients with moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis.

Association between exposure to rotating night shift versus day shift using levels of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and cortisol and other sex hormones in women

The present study aims to compare 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) secretion patterns and levels of cortisol and sex hormones (estradiol, progesterone, DHEA, DHEAS, and testosterone) among rotating night-shift workers and day-shift workers. We performed a cross-sectional study in Cantabria (northern Spain) including 136 women (73 day-shift workers and 63 rotating night-shift workers). Blood and urine samples were obtained after two consecutive working days. Differences in means were estimated using ANCOVA, stratified by menopausal status, ovulation phase, and adjusted for season, age, body mass index, consumption of cigarettes in the last 24 h. aMT6s circadian rhythm was analyzed using the cosinor analysis. The present study showed that rotating night-shift workers had lower excretion of aMT6s than day-shift workers (mesor = 50.26 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in women with rotating night shift versus 88.79 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in women with day shift), lower fluctuation (amplitude = 45.24 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in rotating night-shift workers versus 79.71 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in day-shift workers), and a later acrophase (aMT6s peak time: 08:31 in rotating night-shift workers versus 07:13 h in day-shift workers). Additionally, women with rotating night shift had higher estradiol and progesterone levels, compared to day workers, especially in the follicular phase on the menstrual cycle.

Relationship of leptin with adiposity and inflammation and resistin with disease severity in psoriatic patients undergoing anti-TNF-alpha therapy.

Altered secretion patterns of proinflammatory adipokines may influence the increased risk of cardiovascular mortality observed in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.

Adherence to nutrition-based cancer prevention guidelines and breast, prostate and colorectal cancer risk in the MCC-Spain case–control study

Prostate, breast and colorectal cancer are the most common tumours in Spain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between adherence to nutrition‐based guidelines for cancer prevention and prostate, breast and colorectal cancer, in the MCC‐Spain case–control study. A total of 1,718 colorectal, 1,343 breast and 864 prostate cancer cases and 3,431 population‐based controls recruited between 2007 and 2012, were included in the present study. The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRC/AICR) score based on six recommendations for cancer prevention (on body fatness, physical activity, foods and drinks that promote weight gain, plant foods, animal foods and alcoholic drinks; score range 0–6) was constructed. We used unconditional logistic regression analysis adjusting for potential confounders. One‐point increment in the WCRF/AICR score was associated with 25% (95% CI 19–30%) lower risk of colorectal, and 15% (95% CI 7–22%) lower risk of breast cancer; no association with prostate cancer was detected, except for cases with a Gleason score ≥7 (poorly differentiated/undifferentiated tumours) (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76–0.99). These results add to the wealth of evidence indicating that a great proportion of common cancer cases could be avoided by adopting healthy lifestyle habits.

Total effective xenoestrogen burden in serum samples and risk for breast cancer in a population-based multicase-control study in Spain.

Background: Most studies on endocrine-disrupting chemicals and breast cancer have focused on single compounds and have produced inconclusive findings. Objectives: We assessed the combined estrogenic effects of mixtures of xenoestrogens in serum and their relationship to breast cancer risk. Methods: A total of 186 incident pretreatment breast cancer cases and 196 frequency-matched controls were randomly sampled from a large population-based multicase–control study in Spain. The total effective xenoestrogen burden attributable to organohalogenated xenoestrogens (TEXB-α) and endogenous hormones and more polar xenoestrogens (TEXB-β) was determined in serum samples using high-performance liquid chromatography and E-Screen bioassay. Odds ratios for breast cancer comparing tertiles of serum TEXB-α and TEXB-β were estimated using logistic models, and smooth risk trends were obtained using spline models. Results: Cases had higher geometric mean TEXB-α and TEXB-β levels (8.32 and 9.94 Eeq pM/mL, respectively) than controls (2.99 and 5.96 Eeq pM/mL, respectively). The fully adjusted odds ratios for breast cancer (95% confidence intervals) comparing the second and third tertiles of TEXB-α with the first tertile were 1.77 (0.76, 4.10) and 3.45 (1.50, 7.97), respectively, and those for TEXB-β were 2.35 (1.10, 5.03) and 4.01 (1.88, 8.56), respectively. A steady increase in risk was evident across all detected TEXB-α levels and a sigmoidal trend was observed for TEXB-β. Individual xenoestrogens showed weak and opposing associations with breast cancer risk. Conclusions: This is the first study to show a strong positive association between serum total xenoestrogen burden and breast cancer risk, highlighting the importance of evaluating xenoestrogen mixtures, rather than single compounds, when studying hormone-related cancers. Citation: Pastor-Barriuso R, Fernández MF, Castaño-Vinyals G, Whelan D, Pérez-Gómez B, Llorca J, Villanueva CM, Guevara M, Molina-Molina JM, Artacho-Cordón F, Barriuso-Lapresa L, Tusquets I, Dierssen-Sotos T, Aragonés N, Olea N, Kogevinas M, Pollán M. 2016. Total effective xenoestrogen burden in serum samples and risk for breast cancer in a population-based multicase–control study in Spain. Environ Health Perspect 124:1575–1582; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP157