Search

Introduction: schwannomas are benign and common soft tissue tumors. They are usually asymptomatic and are discovered for other reasons., Materials: we present the case of an 82-year-old male patient with a recent diagnosis of moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the colon and a hypermetabolic periaortic nodule as an incidental finding., Results: percutaneous biopsy of the periaortic nodule confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma. At one year of follow-up, growth of the schwannoma has been demonstrated. There are no signs of progression of his oncological disease., Conclusions: schwannomas are benign tumors, rarely found in the retroperitoneum and can be sources of false-positive positron emission tomography results., (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba)

O exame de corpo de delito pode constituir-se tarefa árdua para o perito criminal com ênfase em local de crime. A identificação desses vestígios muitas vezes inclui a presença de sangue. O objetivo desse estudo é testar a quimiluminescência do Bluestar® na identificação de manchas de sangue em tecido de algodão após as superfícies terem sido lavadas em diferentes períodos de tempo e com diferentes produtos de lavagem por uma máquina de lavar roupas automática. Sete corpos de prova foram preparados e em cada um deles foi dispensado 2 ml de sangue: um grupo controle, que não sofreu lavagem, e três duplas, divididas de acordo com os seguintes ciclos: algodão, lavagem ecológica e lavagem diária. Em cada dupla, um substrato foi lavado com água e sabão em pó e outro foi lavado com água, sabão em pó e alvejante em pó sem cloro. Os grupos ainda foram divididos de acordo com a quantidade de vezes que foram lavados na lavadora de roupas: os que foram lavados apenas uma vez (t1) e os que tiveram duas lavagens, no qual, além da primeira, tiveram uma segunda lavagem após 60 dias da primeira (t2). Conclui-se que o Bluestar® apresentou quimiluminescência em tecidos de algodão manchados de sangue em t1. Entretanto, em t2, em grupos que tiveram e os que não tiveram uma segunda lavagem, Bluestar® apresentou pouca quimiluminescência, podendo ser confundido com falso positivo, ou não apresentou reação quimiluminescente, como nos grupos onde foi usado o alvejante em pó sem cloro.

Introduction: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is cost-effective and a faster method to study genes, but its protocol is challenging., Objective: To analyze different adjustments to the protocol for screening the BRCA genes using Ion Torrent PGM sequencing and correlate the results with the number of false positive (FP) variants., Material and Methods: We conducted a library preparation process and analyzed the number of FP InDels, the library concentration, the number of cycles in the target amplification step, the purity of the nucleic acid, the input, and the number of samples/Ion 314 chips in association with the results obtained by NGS., Results: We carried out 51 reactions and nine adjustments of protocols and observed eight FP InDels in homopolymer regions. No FP Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism variant was observed; 67.5% of protocol variables were jointly associated with the quality of the results obtained (p<0.05). The number of FP InDels decreased when the quality of results increased., Conclusion: The Ion AmpliSeq BRCA1/BRCA2 Community Panel had a better performance using four samples per Ion-314 chip instead of eight and the optimum number of cycles in the amplification step, even when using high-quality DNA, was 23. We observed better results with the manual equalization process and not using the Ion Library Equalizer kit. These adjustments provided a higher coverage of the variants and fewer artifacts (6.7-fold). Laboratories must perform internal validation because FP InDel variants can vary according to the quality of results while the NGS assay should be validated with Sanger.

Objective: To assess the validity of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen (Ag) detection for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in mildly infected or asymptomatic patients., Methods: Observational study to evaluate diagnostic tests. Non-hospitalized patients with indication for diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. The diagnostic test to be evaluated was the determination of Ag and as a reference standard to determine the presence of viral RNA the RT-PCR was used., Results: A total of 494 patients were included. Of these 71.5% (353/494) had symptoms and 28.5% (141/494) were asymptomatic (presurgery screening (35/494) and confirmed case-contact (106/494). The overall sensitivity of the Ag test was 61.1% and the specificity was 99.7%. The sensitivity and specificity in the asymptomatic group were 40% and 100% respectively, and in the symptomatic group 63.5% and 99.6% respectively. In turn, the sensitivity and specificity in the group of symptomatic patients varied according to the time of symptom evolution: in patients with recent symptoms, they were 71.4% and 99.6% respectively, while in patients with symptoms of more than 5 days of evolution, they were 26.7% and 100% respectively. In all groups studied, the presence of antigen is associated with a high viral load (Ct<30 cycles)., Conclusions: The use of Ag detection test is not indicated for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in asymptomatic patients or with symptoms of more than 5 days of evolution, but it could be useful in patients with symptoms of 1-5 days of evolution., (©The Author 2021. Published by Sociedad Española de Quimioterapia. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).)

Background: COVID-19 disease emerged at the end of 2019 and it started to be considered a pandemic at the beginning of 2020. The reference methodology for the COVID-19 diagnosis is the RT-qPCR., Objective: It was assessed the sensitivity and specificity of molecular test kits found on the list of tests of the Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos (InDRE, Institute for Epidemiologic Diagnosis and Reference)., Material and Methods: By using the PubMed and the Google Scholar platforms, a search was carried out for articles, out of which 14 were selected, retrieving the number of samples analyzed and their status (positive or negative), according to the molecular reference method, the name of the test kit used, as well as the characteristics and results obtained, expressed as true positives, false negatives, true negatives and false positives. Sensitivity and specificity of 8 kits were calculated, with compilations of the OpenEpi, version 3.01, statistical calculators, by using the Wilson score with a 95% confidence interval., Results: The sensitivity and specificity results for the kits were greater than 90%., Conclusions: Tests evaluated allow the detection of presence or absence of virus, but they can be affected by conditions during the stages of the method.

Objective: Newborn screening programmes (NBSP) have experienced a qualitative breakthrough due to the implementation of tandem mass spectrometry. However, the tests used give rise to false positives (FP) generating an excessive request for second samples with the consequent anxiety of the families. In order to avoid this problem several programmes have developed second-tier tests (2TT)., Methods: This article presents our experience in the implementation of 2TT in the NBSP of Catalonia, as well as in other international programmes., Results: From 2004 to the present, 2TT tests have been developed for more than 30 diseases. The use of 2TT helps to decrease the FP rate and increase the positive predictive value (PPV). In the NBSP of Catalonia, the implementation of 2TT for the detection of methylmalonic and propionic acidemias, homocystinurias, maple syrup disease and citrulinaemia, has managed to increase the PPV to 95% and decrease the PF rate to less than 0.01%. In cystic fibrosis, the application of 2TT slightly increases PPV but with a significant decrease in the request for second samples and in the number of cases referred to clinical units., Conclusions: The introduction of 2TT in the NBSP allows to reduce considerably the FP, decreases the number of requested samples, as well as both anxiety and stress of the families, at the same time that the hospital costs are reduced and the PPV is increased, improving notably the efficiency of the NBSP.

Galician newborn screening program for early detection of endocrine and metabolic diseases began in 1978 and was a pioneer in expanded newborn screening in Spain with the incorporation of mass spectrometry in July 2000. As a primary objective, 28 diseases are screened, including those recommended SNS except sickle cell anemia which is in the inclusion phase. In its 20-year history, 404,616 newborns (nb) have been analyzed, identifying 547 cases affected by the diseases included, with a global incidence of 1: 739 newborns and 1: 1.237 of the screened inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) (1:1.580 nb if excluding benign hyperphenylalaninemia-HPA), with an average participation of 99.35%, progressively higher during the analyzed period. Among the pathologies screened, congenital hypothyroidism (1:2.211 nb), cystinuria (1:4.129 nb) and HPA (1:5.699 nb), followed by phenylketonuria and cystic fibrosis (1:10,936 nb) stand out for their incidence. Sixty-six cases of false positives were identified (seventeen of them in relation to maternal pathology) and five false negatives, being the overall PPV and NPV of the program respectively of 89.2% and 99.99%, with a sensitivity of 99.09% and a specificity of 99.98%. The mortality rate of diagnosed CME patients is 1.52%, with eleven cases presenting symptoms prior to the screening result (2%). The intelligence quotient of IEM patients at risk of neurological involvement is normal in more than 95% of cases.

Aim: Vascular graft infection is a rare complication with a high morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis is essential to establish an adequate treatment. We assess the accuracy of 99mTc-WBC scintigraphy with SPECT/CT in the diagnosis of vascular graft infection., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed thirty 99m Tc-WBC scintigraphies with SPECT/CT performed in thirty patients with suspicion of vascular prosthesis infection. Studies were considered positive for graft infection if the intensity of activity involving the graft was greater than the liver or bone marrow activity (spine and pelvis)., Results: Final diagnosis of infection was established in 10 patients, based on Fitzgerald criteria. Scintigraphy was positive in 11 patients. No false negatives were obtained. The values of sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 95%, respectively, with a PPV of 91% and a NPV of 100%. Twenty five patients had a CT performed prior to scintigraphy, in 9 cases the result was positive and in the remaining 16 was negative. CT sensitivity and specificity obtained in our study were 62.5% and 76% respectively, with a PPV of 55.6% and a NPV of 81.3%. Diagnosis of infection led to prosthesis exeresis in 8 cases (all of them had a positive microbiological study of the extracted material), while the remaining 2 patients were treated with antibiotic therapy alone due to high surgical risk., Conclusion: Our results suggest a high accuracy for 99m Tc-WBC scintigraphy with SPECT/CT in the assessment of clinically suspected arterial graft infection., (Copyright © 2020 Sociedad Española de Medicina Nuclear e Imagen Molecular. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a rare and heterogeneous group of tumors. They account for 1% of solid malignant tumors in adults and 7% in children and are responsible for 2% of cancer mortality. They require a multidisciplinary approach in centers with experience. This collaboration aims to update the scientific evidence to strengthen, together with clinical experience, the bases for the use and limitations of 18 F-FDG-PET/CT in STSs. The general recommendations for the use of PET/CT in STS at present are summarized as the initial evaluation of soft tissue tumours when conventional image does not establish benignity with certainty and this determines the approach; in biopsy guiding in selected cases; in the initial staging, as additional tool, for rhabdomyosarcoma and STS of extremities or superficial trunk and head and neck tumours; in the suspicion of local recurrence when the CT or MRI are inconclusive and in the presence of osteosynthesis or prosthetic material and in assessment of therapy response to local/systemic therapy in stages ii/iii. In addition, PET/CT has the added value of being a surrogate marker of the histopathological response and it provides prognostic information, both in the baseline study and after treatment., (Copyright © 2020 Sociedad Española de Medicina Nuclear e Imagen Molecular. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the detection rate of 18 F-Choline PET/MRI and subsequent changes in therapy approach for patients with prostate cancer treated by prostatectomy and with rising levels of PSA <1 ng/ml., Methods: Prospective study with our first 36 patients with prostatectomy for prostate cancer and rising levels of PSA, who were referred for an 18 F-Choline PET/MRI study. A dual-phase study was acquired after intravenous administration of 185±10% MBq of 18 F-Choline: 1) early imaging (immediately after tracer administration) of prostate area (emission PET/Multiparametric MRI). 2) whole-body imaging 1 h after tracer injection (emission PET/MRI: T1, T2, STIR, diffusion). The therapy approach for patients was decided upon the Oncology Committee consensus based on 18 F-Choline PET/MRI findings., Results: Twenty out of 36 patients (55.6%) were positive for the 18 F-Choline PET/MRI study: 8 (22.2%) within the prostatectomy bed, 7 (19.4%) with infradiaphragmatic lymph nodes, 4 (11.1%) with local recurrence and infradiaphragmatic lymph nodes, and 1 (2.8%) with bone metastasis. Sixteen out of the 36 patients (44.4%) were negative for the 18 F-Choline PET/MRI study. 18 F-Choline PET/MRI findings had an impact on the therapy approach to follow: 15 patients (41.6%) showed oligometastatic disease which was treated by imaging-guided radiotherapy, 5 (13.9%) with multiple metastatic disease were treated by androgen deprivation therapy, 16 (44.4%) negative were under active surveillance., Conclusion: Hybrid 18 F-Choline PET/MRI procedure showed a high detection rate for recurrence in prostate cancer patients treated with prostatectomy and rising PSA levels <1 ng/ml, and 18 F-Choline PET/MRI findings resulted in a better tailored therapy approach delivered to our patients., (Copyright © 2020 Sociedad Española de Medicina Nuclear e Imagen Molecular. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Faecal calprotectin is a useful technique for detecting activity in patients with ulcerative colitis. However, there may be high levels due to factors other than the activity of ulcerative colitis. Our aim was to analyse possible false positive results of calprotectin for the activity of ulcerative colitis owing to the presence of inflammatory polyps., Patients and Methods: Retrospective, observational, descriptive study. Data was collected from patients monitored for 2 years in whom a colonoscopy had been requested within 3 months after detecting high calprotectin values (>150μg/g) and before modifying the treatment., Results: We reviewed 39 patients and in 5 of them, with previous diagnosis of extensive ulcerative colitis, inflammatory polyps were detected. Three patients were on treatment with mesalazine, one with azathioprine and other with infliximab. All of them were asymptomatic and the endoscopy did not show macroscopic activity (endoscopic Mayo score=0) or histological activity. The median values of calprotectin were 422μg/g (IQR: 298-2,408) and they remained elevated in a second measurement. In 4 of the patients the inflammatory polyps were multiple and small in size. The other patient had a polyp measuring 4cm., Discussion: In clinical practice we can find high faecal calprotectin levels not due to the presence of ulcerative colitis activity, but due to other lesions such as inflammatory polyps. This fact must be taken into account before carrying out relevant changes such as step-up therapy to immunosuppressive drugs or biological drugs in patients with confirmed high calprotectin levels., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The present study investigates the role of 18 F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of primary malignancy in patients with bone metastasis of unknown primary origin (BMUO)., Material and Methods: This retrospective study considered histopathological examination findings or clinical follow-up data as the standard reference in the diagnosis of primary tumors, and results were compared with results of PET/CT scans., Results: The study included 100 patients with BMUO (74 males, 26 females, mean age 61 years). The primary origin was identified in 92 of the 100 patients. Adenocarcinoma was the most common histopathological subtype in patients in whom the primary origin of tumor was detected (65.2%). The most common primary tumor was lung carcinoma (n=52) followed by prostate (n=13), breast (n=7), colon (n=4), gastric (n=3), ovarian (n=2), renal cell (n=2), adrenal (n=1), thyroid (n=1), endometrial (n=1) and parotid (n=1) carcinoma, hepatobiliary cancers (n=2), leiomyosarcoma (n=2) and maxillary sinus tumor (n=1). The numbers of patients in whom PET/CT showed true positive, true negative, false positive (FP) and false negative (FN) results were 72, 7, 8 and 13, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and detection rate of PET/CT in detecting the primary tumor were 84.7%, 46%, 79% and 72%, respectively. The overall survival was significantly lower in lung cancer group when compared to non-lung cancer group, whereas it was significantly higher in prostate cancer group than in non-prostate cancer group., Conclusions: PET/CT, as a non-invasive method, can be preferred as the first choice in the detection of primary tumor in patients with BMUO., (Copyright © 2019 Sociedad Española de Medicina Nuclear e Imagen Molecular. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare the results of indirect ophthalmoscopy versus determination of the red reflex in newborns admitted to the intermediate neonatal intensive care unit., Methods: All the patients (71) admitted to the intermediate neonatal intensive care unit from July to September of 2017 were screened with the red reflex. Immediately afterwards, they were pharmacologically dilated and indirect ophthalmoscopy was performed. All of the red-reflex screening and the funduscopic examination were performed by the same evaluator., Results: A total of 14.1% (20/142) of the eyes had an altered red reflex. Indirect ophthalmoscopy revealed that 21.8% (31/142) of the eyes had intraocular abnormalities. Two of these eyes had optic nerve colobomas, two eyes had cataracts, and the rest had intra-retinal haemorrhages. Indirect ophthalmoscopy revealed that only 35% (7/20) of the eyes with an altered red reflex had intraocular disease. Indirect ophthalmoscopy also revealed that intraocular disease was present in 77.4% (24/31) of the eyes despite a normal red reflex. The false positive rate of the red reflex was calculated to be 9.2%, and the false negative rate was 16.9%. The sensitivity of the red reflex was only 56.4%, and the specificity was 89.5%. The positive predictive value was 70.4%, and the negative predictive value was 82.2%., Conclusions: Neonatal screening with the red reflex is not sufficient to detect intraocular disease. A normal neonatal red reflex does no exclude intraocular disease. It has a specificity of nearly 90%, but its sensitivity is only 56%. Most retinal haemorrhages are undiagnosed as they cannot be detected with a red reflex., (Copyright © 2019. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.)

Ocular perforations require an action depending on the findings observed. Additionally, the closeness of the orbit to the nasal cavity and the anterior cranial fossa requires any collateral damage in these spaces to be ruled out. The presence of a penetrating ocular injury associated with ipsilateral rhinorrhoea in which the presence of β2-transferrin -a highly specific and sensitive marker to identify cerebrospinal fluid- is detected, obliges to suspect and locate any possible leakage. A case is presented in which this unbound protein is detected in post-traumatic rhinorrhoea with an origin in the eyeball, making the diagnosis of a CSF leak into a false positive., (Copyright © 2019. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.)

Objective: We aimed to compare the diagnostic utility of the STOP-Bang questionnaire for moderate apnoea against the gold standard (type I polysomnography) in a primary care setting., Method: Study of diagnostic utility in primary care. Estimated sample: 85 cases and 85 healthy controls. In convenience sampling, 203 patients were recruited by their physicians at six health centres. Twenty-five were excluded, and 57 women and 121 men, of whom 74 had apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥15, were analyzed. STOP-Bang was validated by comparing scores in the same patient with the apnoea-hypopnoea index observed in polysomnography, as a gold standard. Sample size, ROC curve analysis and optimal cut-off points were identified with the easyROC, pROC, and OptimalCutpoints packages., Results: The area under the curve in moderate apnoea (AHI ≥15) of the STOP-Bang was 0.777 (0.667-0.808), with optimal cut-off points different by sex (4 in women and 6 in men). In the cross-validation with k=10, the area under the curve for the STOP-Bang was 0.678., Conclusions: The STOP-Bang presents a diagnostic moderate utility for AHI≥15, but superior to other scales, in a community population. Its performance is more appropriate in women., (Copyright © 2018 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Direct visual inspection for cervical cancer screening remains controversial, whereas colposcopy-biopsy is considered the gold standard for diagnosis of preneoplastic cervical lesions., Objectives: To determine the rates of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or more and of false positives for colposcopy and direct visual inspection., Materials and Methods: Women aged 25-59 underwent direct visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), Lugol's iodine (VIA-VILI), and colposcopy. Punch biopsies were obtained for all positive tests. Using histology as the gold standard, detection and false positive rates were compared for VIA, VIA-VILI, and colposcopy (two thresholds). Sensitivity and false positive ratios with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated., Results: We included 5,011 women in the analysis and we obtained 602 biopsies. Positivity rates for colposcopy high-grade and low-grade diagnosis were 1.6% and 10.8%. Positivity rates for VIA and VIA-VILI were 7.4% and 9.9%. VIA showed a significantly lower detection rate than colposcopy with low-grade diagnosis as the threshold (SR=0.72; 95% CI 0.57-0.91), and significantly lower false positive rate (FPR=0.70; 95% CI 0.65-0.76). No differences between VIA-VILI and colposcopy low-grade threshold were observed. VIA and VIA-VILI showed significantly higher detection and false positive rates than colposcopy high-grade threshold. Sensitivity rates for visual inspection decreased with age and false positive rates increased. For all age groups, false positive rates for VIA and VIA-VILI were significantly higher than colposcopy., Conclusions: Detection rates for VIA-VILI similar to colposcopy low-grade threshold represent a chance to reduce cervical cancer mortality through see-and-treat approaches among women with limited access to health care. Lower detection rates suggest reviewing high-grade colposcopy findings as the threshold for biopsy in certain settings.

In 2012, the Spanish Rare Disease Registries Research Network (Spain-RDR) was consolidated with the aim of creating a Spanish population-based Rare Diseases Registry. In order to achieve this, each of the 17 Spanish Regions had to develop its own regional registry with a common agreed methodology. The Population-based Rare Disease Registry of Navarre was created in 2013 and, since then, its implementation is been carried out. Navarre assumed the agreed list within the Spanish Network, which included 934 codes of the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification. Initially, the main data source used to capture cases was the Assisted Morbidity Registry of Navarre, which includes the Minimum Basic Data Set of every regional hospital discharges (both public and private). Afterwards, new data sources were been added and ongoing validation studies of captured cases were been developed. Population-based rare diseases registries are fundamental for the study and quantification of this type of diseases since the classification and coding systems used in the current healthcare information systems are very nonspecific. The analysis and cross-referencing of data among multiple data sources is essential to maximize case detection capacity. Due to the low prevalence of these diseases, a high false positives rate among the detected cases greatly affects the estimation of epidemiological indicators, which makes it necessary to validate the cases by verifying the diagnoses.

Objective: There are several methods to promote informed decision making before undergoing a screening program. This research aimed to analyze the contents of official documents about breast cancer screening programs., Methods: A descriptive research was performed. After a literature review an agreed checklist was performed with the information needed to make decisions about participation in mammography screening programs. Informative documents about mammography screening valid in Spain in 2016 were analyzed by two independent researchers. The inter-rater agreement was verified and the discrepancies were solved by consensus. Absolute and relative frequencies of each item were calculated., Results: 8 invitations and 14 citation letters, 12 leaflets, 8 brochures and 14 websites, from 18 screening programs, were reviewed. The information turned out to be very different according to each program. Only a third warned that participation is voluntary. 8 programs (44.4%) offered information on what is breast cancer and 7 (38.9%) on the cumulative risk of developing the disease. 15 (83.3%) explained the objectives of the program and 14 (77.8%) explained what mammography is. 14 programs (77.8%) presented as screening benefits the least invasive treatments, 12 the increase in survival (66.7%) and 10 the decrease in specific mortality (55.6%). Most of the programs did not report the possibility of false positives (27.8%) or false negatives (38.9%). Only 7 (38.9%) mentioned the possibility of overdiagnosis and 6 (33.3%) of overtreatment., Conclusions: The information provided by the different breast cancer screening programs is variable and does not contain sufficient information for informed decision-making., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe 2 process indicators related to taking blood cultures (BC) in an Adult Emergency Department of a tertiary university hospital in Buenos Aires,and to describe the changes after a series of educational activities for health professionals was implemented during May 2016 as regards the appropriate indication of BC and the proper collection technique., Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was designed to assess its effectiveness, which consecutively included all patients admitted during 2015-2016. The BC request rate was used as a process indicator, and the percentage of contaminated BCs and the true positives rate were used as quality indicators. Both were measured monthly and prospectively during the period of study., Results: The annual adjusted rate of BC requests was 4.9% (95% CI 4.8-5) in 2015 and 2.9% (95% CI 2.8-2.9) in 2016. The rate of false positive (contaminated) BCs was 4.5% in 2015 and 4.3% after the educational intervention. The true positive BCs were 8.3% in 2015 and 12% post-intervention., Conclusions: These findings prove how important and effective the educational interventions are., (Copyright © 2018 FECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

The increase in C5-carnitin (C5) quantified by tandem mass spectrometry allows for early detection of isovaleric acidemia (IVA) in newborns. The administration of pro- drugs like cefditoren pivoxil (CFP) composed by pivalic acid esters also causes increases of C5 in blood. This work shows the experience of the Laboratorio de Cribado Neonatal of the Comunidad de Madrid in the newborn screening for IVA. 418.863 newborns have been analyzed and no cases of IVA have been detected, but there were 18 cases of increase of C5 in newborns from mothers treated with CFP before labour. The concentrations of C5 obtained in these cases were comparable to those from cases diagnosed of IVA in other countries. We also studied the concentration of C5 the blood of a patient who was treated with CFP, in whom we observed an elevation which was restored after treatment was finished. CFP is an antibiotic prescribed to pregnant women in Spain and can cause elevation of C5 in blood that can induce to suspect a case of IVA, causing alarm in the newborn family and forcing to a follow-up., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Introduction and Objectives: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) network activation by a noncardiologist reduces delay times but may increase the rate of false-positive STEMI diagnoses. We aimed to determine the prevalence, predictors, and clinical impact of false-positive activations within the Catalonian STEMI network (Codi Infart)., Methods: From January 2010 through December 2011, all consecutive patients treated within the Codi Infart network were included. Code activations were classified as appropriate if they satisfied both electrocardiogram and clinical STEMI criteria. Appropriate activations were classified as false positives using 2 nonexclusive definitions: a) "angiographic" if a culprit coronary artery was not identified, and b) "clinical" if the discharge diagnosis was other than STEMI., Results: In total, 5701 activations were included. Appropriate activation was performed in 87.8% of the episodes. The rate of angiographic false positives was 14.6%, while the rate of clinical false positives was 11.6%. Irrespective of the definition, female sex, left bundle branch block, and previous myocardial infarction were independent predictors of false-positive STEMI diagnoses. Using the clinical definition, hospitals without percutaneous coronary intervention and patients with complications during the first medical contact also had a false-positive STEMI diagnoses rate higher than the mean. In-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were similar for false-positive and true-positive STEMI patients after adjustment for possible confounders., Conclusions: False-positive STEMI diagnoses were frequent. Outcomes were similar for patients with a true-positive or false-positive STEMI diagnosis treated within a STEMI network. The presence of any modifiable predictors of a false-positive STEMI diagnosis warrants careful assessment to optimize the use of STEMI networks., (Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Urine culture, the gold standard to confirm the presence of urinary tract infection (UTI), is the most requested assay in the microbiology department. Our objective was to determine the diagnostic yield of the UF-Series cytometer as a screening method for UTI., Methods: All the urine samples sent to the six Microbiology Laboratories participating in a period of 5 working days were analyzed. We collected demographic variables, apart from those variables related to urine samples: source and sample type (midstream, catheterized or nephrostomy urines), collection with/without boric acid, cytometer parameters (leukocyturia, bacteriuria, bacteria morphology and epithelial cells) and urine culture results. ROC curves were plotted to determine predictive capacity of the cytometer., Results: A sample of 2,468 patients with average age of 53 years were processed (ratio women:men 2:1). Urine culture detected 23% of positive urine samples. The predictor variables of UTI were: morphology of bacilli, bacteriuria ≥21 bacteria/µL, age ≥65 years, samples collected in the emergency service and hospitalization and preserving conditions. With 21 bacteria/µL as a cut-off point, we obtained a sensitivity of 93.3% and 94.5% negative predictive value, then reducing the samples to be cultured by 28.9% with 1.6% false negatives., Conclusions: We consider that the UF-Series is a valid and accurate tool for the detection of UTI. Therefore, it could be used as screening method in the clinical practice prior to the urine culture, reducing culture requirement by approximately 30%, with a low false negative rate.

Objectives: To assess the frequency of focal colonic uptake as an incidental observation in 18 F-FDG PET/CT studies, and to correlate this finding with histopathological results., Material and Methods: Out of a total of 3,176 PET/CT studies with 18 F-FDG systematic analysis was carried out on 30 studies in which colonic focal uptake was observed. Patients with known colorectal neoplasia were excluded. The maximum standardised uptake values (SUVm) and the morphological findings provided by the CT were recorded. The studies were reported by a radiologist and a nuclear medicine doctor. The findings were compared with endoscopy and pathology findings., Results: Of the 30 patients with focal hypermetabolic lesions of the colon (0.94%), 15 were men and 15 were women with ages between 27 and 73 (mean 55 years). The reasons for PET/CT were bronchopulmonary cancer (4), breast cancer (4), tumour of unknown origin (4), melanoma (3), renal carcinoma (3), cervical neoplasia (2), adenocarcinoma of ovary (2), and others (8). Of the 23 colonoscopies performed, 10 patients (43.4%) had malignant lesions, 6 (26.1%) had pre-malignant lesions, and in 7 patients (30.4%) no lesion was identified or was benign. No endoscopy was performed on 7 patients for various reasons (patient refusal to perform the study, advanced oncological disease). An analysis was performed with the SUVm, with no statistically significant differences being found between malignant-premalignant lesions and benign lesions., Conclusions: Focal uptake in the colon of 18 F-FDG has clinical relevance, and is mainly associated with morphological lesions in CT. It should be evaluated, as it may be a second tumour or a pre-malignant lesion. It is recommended that all focal uptakes of the colon be evaluated with endoscopy., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMNIM. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: Locoregional lymph node ultrasound is not typically included in guidelines as part of the staging process prior to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). The objective of the present study was to make a clinical and economic analysis of lymph node ultrasound prior to SLNB., Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 384 patients with clinical stage I-II primary melanoma who underwent locorregional lymph node ultrasound (with or without ultrasound-guided biopsy) prior to SLNB between 2004 and 2015. We evaluated the reliability and cost-effectiveness of the strategy., Results: Use of locorregional lymph node ultrasound avoided SLNB in 23 patients (6%). Ultrasound had a sensitivity of 46% and specificity of 76% for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes that were not clinically palpable. False negatives were significantly more common in patients aged over 60 years and in tumors with a thickness of less than 2mm. The staging process using SLNB and ultrasound with ultrasound-guided biopsy produced an increase of €16.30 in the unit price. Our cost-effectiveness analysis identified the staging protocol with ultrasound and SLNB as the dominant strategy, with a lower cost-effectiveness ratio than the alternative, consisting of SLNB alone (8,095.24 vs. €28,605.00)., Conclusions: Ultrasound with ultrasound-guided biopsy for the diagnostic staging of melanoma prior to SLNB is a useful and cost-effective tool. This procedure does not substitute SLNB, though it does allow to avoid SLNB in a not insignificant proportion of patients., (Copyright © 2017 AEDV. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Purpouse: The aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound to differentiate appendicitis from nonspecific acute abdominal pain, that is the most common process requiring differential diagnosis in clinical practice., Material and Methods: Patients admitted for suspicion of appendicitis were prospectively evaluated in our hospital during two years (2013-2014). Cases of nonspecific acute abdominal pain and appendicitis assessed by ultrasound were enrolled in the study. The different variables collected were statistically analyzed by descriptive, univariate and diagnostic accuracy studies., Results: A total of 275 patients were studied, 143 cases of nonspecific acute abdominal pain and 132 cases of appendicitis. Ultrasound sensitivity and specificity to differentiate appendicitis were 94.7% and 87.4% respectively, with a 12.6% rate of false positives and a 5.3% rate of false negatives. The rate of false negatives in perforated group was 17.4% and analysis according to Pediatric Appendicitis Score risk groups showed a 12.2% rate of false positives in low-risk group and a 6.3% rate of false negatives in high-risk group., Conclusions: The use of ultrasound in low clinical probability cases of appendicitis could rise unnecessary surgery rate, due to the significant number of false positives in this group of patients. In high probability clinical cases, ultrasound does not contribute too much to diagnosis and it could be a confusion factor by the significant number of false negative associated to perforated appendicitis.

Objectives: To study 18 F-Choline PET/CT in the diagnosis and biopsy guide of prostate cancer (pCa) in patients with persistently high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and previous negative prostate biopsy. To compare the clinical risk factors and metabolic variables as predictors of malignancy., Methods: Patients with persistently elevated PSA in serum (total PSA >4ng/mL) and at least a previous negative or inconclusive biopsy were consecutively referred for a whole body 18 F-Choline PET/CT. Patient age, PSA level, PSA doubling time (PSAdt) and PSA velocity (PSAvel) were obtained. PET images were visually (positive or negative) and semiquantitatively (SUVmax) reviewed. 18 F-Choline uptake prostate patterns were defined as focal, multifocal, homogeneous or heterogeneous. Histology on biopsy using transrectal ultrasound-guided approach was the gold standard. Sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp) and accuracy (Ac) of PET/CT for diagnosis of pCa were evaluated using per-patient and per-prostate lobe analysis. Receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the value of SUVmax to diagnose pCa. Correlation between PET/CT and biopsy results per-prostate lobe was assessed using the Chi-square test. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to compare clinical risk factors and metabolic variables as predictors of malignancy., Results: Thirty-six out of 43 patients with histologic confirmation were included. In 11 (30.5%) patients, pCa was diagnosed (Gleason score from 4 to 9). The mean values of patient age, PSA level, PSAdt and PSAvel were: 65.5 years, 15.6ng/ml, 28.1 months and 8.5ng/mL per year, respectively. Thirty-three patients had a positive PET/CT; 18 had a focal pattern, 7 multifocal, 4 homogeneous and 4 heterogeneous. Se, Sp and Ac of PET/CT were of 100%, 12% and 38% in the patient based analysis, and 87%, 29% and 14% in the prostate lobe based analysis, respectively. The ROC curve analysis of SUVmax showed an AUC of 0.568 (p=0.52). On a lobe analysis, poor agreement was observed between PET/CT findings and biopsy results (p=0.097). In the univariate/multivariate analysis, none of clinical and metabolic variables were statistically significant as predictor of pCa., Conclusion: Choline PET/CT is a suitable procedure for the detection of pCa in highly selected patients, however, a high rate of false positive should be expected., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMNIM. All rights reserved.)

The prevalence and severity of obesity have increased over recent decades, reaching worldwide epidemics. Obesity is associated to coronary artery disease and other risk factors, including hypertension, heart failure and atrial fibrillation, which are all increased in the setting of obesity. Several noninvasive cardiac imaging modalities, such as echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, magnetic resonance and cardiac gated single-photon emission computed tomography, are available in assessing coronary artery disease and myocardial dysfunction. Yet, in patients with excess adiposity the diagnostic accuracy of these techniques may be limited due to some issues. In this review, we analyze challenges and possibilities to find the optimal cardiac imaging approach to obese population., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMNIM. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the validity of the Spanish Minimum Basic Data Set (MBDS) for identifying major congenital anomalies in the Valencian Community., Methods: A retrospective epidemiological study was carried out. Children under the age of one year, born in 2007 and residing in the Valencian Community with congenital anomalies code 740-759 CIE9-MC, were selected from the MBDS, in addition to a random sample of children under the age of 1 year without these discharge codes. Having reviewed the clinical documentation, the cases were classified as true positives and negatives and false positives and negatives. Positive and negative predictive value and sensitivity were calculated. The kappa test was applied to analyse diagnostic consistency between the MBDS and the clinical documentation., Results: A total of 2305 discharges of 1651 patients were identified. 4 out of the 5434 patients sampled had a major congenital abnormality. The positive predictive value was 56.4% (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 53.9-58.8) and the negative predictive value was 99.3% (95%CI: 98.6-100.0). MBDS sensitivity was 68.6% (95%CI: 66.1-71.1). The most common codes in the true positives were: 745.5 (atrial septal defect), 745.4 (ventricular septal defect) and 747.0 (patent ductus arteriosus) and in the false positives: 747.0, 745.5 and 752.51 (cryptorchidism). 25.5% of diagnoses with congenital anomaly from the MBDS were not in the clinical documentation. Considering all diagnoses coded in the MBDS, the correlation was 0.70 (95%CI: 0.68-0.72) CONCLUSIONS: The MBDS is the main source of information to detect cases in the registry of congenital anomalies of the Valencian Community. Its main limitation is the high number of false positive cases detected., (Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the contribution of 11 C-Methionine PET in the early differentiation between tumour recurrence and radionecrosis in patients treated for a high grade glioma., Method: The study included 30 patients with glioma (III/IV grade) treated with surgery/radiotherapy/chemotherapy (5-8 months) and with an indeterminate MRI. All patients underwent a 11 C-Methione PET (within 15 days of MRI) and studies were visually analysed (intensity and morphology of uptake), quantified (SUV max/SUV mean background), and coregistered to MRI (3D-Flair). Patient management was decided by the neuro-oncology committee to clinical and imaging follow-up, second-line treatment, or surgery., Results: There were 23 11 C-Methionine PET studies visually positive. Morphology of uptake was focal in 15, diffuse in 4, and ring-shaped in 4. Three out of the focal uptake cases underwent resection (Histopathology +). Sixteen underwent second-line therapy (11 responded; 5 progressed). The 4 cases with ring-shaped uptake were followed-up, and progression was found in 2 (true-positive), and disease-free in 2 (follow-up of 6 and 7 months, respectively) (false-positive). Seven out of 11 C-Methionine studies PET were visually negative, and all of them were disease-free (follow-up of 3-12 months). SUV lesion/background was 2.79±1.35 in tumour recurrence, and 1.53±0.39 in radionecrosis (P<.05). Taking into account a SUV lesion/background threshold of 2.35, the sensitivity and specificity values were 90.5% and 100%, respectively., Conclusion: Visual analysis, quantitative and PET/MRI coregistration of 11 C-Methionine PET showed their complementary role in patients with indeterminate MRI results, thus allowing early differentiation between tumour recurrence and radionecrosis, and helping in the individual therapy approach., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMNIM. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the importance of false-negative and false-positive findings in computed tomography (CT) and 18 F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) in mediastinal lymph node staging in patients undergoing surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Material and Methods: This retrospective study included 113 consecutive patients and 120 resected NSCLCs; 22 patients received neoadjuvant treatment. We compared the findings on preoperative 18 F-FDG PET-CT studies with the postoperative pathology findings. Lymph node size and primary tumor size were measured with CT, and lymph nodes and primary tumors were evaluated qualitatively and semiquantitatively (using standardized uptake values (SUVmax)) with PET., Results: Metastatic lymph nodes were found in 26 (21.7%) of the 120 tumors and in 41 (7.7%) of the 528 lymph node stations analyzed. 18 F-FDG PET-CT yielded 53.8% sensitivity, 76.6% specificity, 38.9% positive predictive value, 85.7% negative predictive value, and 71.7% diagnostic accuracy. The false-negative rate was 14.2%. Multivariable analysis found that the factors associated with false-negative findings were a moderate degree of differentiation in the primary tumor (p = 0.005) and an SUVmax of the primary tumor >4 (p = 0.027). The false-positive rate was 61.1%, and the multivariable analysis found that lymph node size >1cm was associated with false-positive findings (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: In mediastinal lymph node staging in patients with NSCLC, 18 F-FDG PET-CT improves the specificity and negative predictive value and helps clinicians to select the patients that will benefit from surgery. Given the high rate of false positives, histological confirmation of positive cases is recommendable., (Copyright © 2017 SERAM. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To analyze the association between a false positive result in mammography and obesity, inside the breast cancer early detection program in women affiliated to the Institute of Security and Social Services for Government and Municipality workers of the State of Baja California (ISSSTECALI)., Material and Methods: A case-control, retrospective study was done in women affiliated to ISSSTECALI to whom a mammography was performed between 2009 and 2012. Women with a false positive result in mammography were included as cases. Controls were women with a true negative result in mammography. Three controls were randomly selected for each case. Obesity was established with the body mass index (BMI) consigned in the woman's clinical file. Age and estrogen replacement therapy were included as co-variables., Results: Seventy nine cases were identified and 237 controls were included. Obesity was observed in 54.4% of cases and in 41.3% of controls (odds ratio: 1.69; 95% confidence interval for odds ratio: 1.01-2.82; p value: 0.043). A logistic regression model including covariables maintained the observed association (p = 0.044). No association was found with analyzed co-variables., Conclusions: A false positive result in mammography was associated with the presence of obesity.

Introduction and Objective: Although urine pneumococcal antigen is an useful test, it has false positives such as pneumococcal vaccination., Material and Methods: Positive urine pneumococcal antigen in Hospital de Denia (January-February/2015). We studied epidemiological, radiological and microbiological variables as well as previous pneumococcal vaccination (neumo-23 and/or neumo-13)., Results: Urine pneumococcal antigen test was positive in 12.4% of 385 cases. Only 33.3% of positive cases had pneumonia in chest X-ray, and 35.4% of patients had previous pneumococcal vaccination. In most cases (87.5%), an antibiotic was prescribed., Conclusions: Pneumococcal vaccination can produce a false positive result in the urine pneumococcal antigen test in clinical practice, leading to an unnecessary prescription of antibiotics., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)