References1 Johnstone MA, Albert DM. Prostaglandin-induced hair growth. Surv Ophthalmol 2002; 47(Suppl 1): S185-S202. 2 Wand M, Ritch R, Isbey EK et al. Latanoprost and periocular skin color changes. Arch Ophthalmol 2001; 119: 614-615. 3 Seckin D, Yildiz A. Repigmentation and curling of hair after acitretin therapy. Australas J Dermatol 2009; 50: 214-216. 4 Zarafonetis CJ. Darkening of gray hair during para-amino-benzoic acid therapy. J Invest Dermatol 1950; 15: 399-401. 5 Juhlin L, Ortonne JP. Red scalp hair turning dark-brown at 50 years of age. Acta Derm Venereol 1986; 66: 71-73. 6 Abdel-Malek ZA, Swope VB, Amornsiripanitch N et al. In vitro modulation of proliferation and melanization of S91 melanoma cells by prostaglandins. Cancer Res 1987; 47: 3141-3146. 7 Nordlund JJ, Collins CE, Rheins LA. Prostaglandin E2 and D2 but not MSH stimulate the proliferation of pigment cells in the pinnal epidermis of the DBA ⁄ 2 mouse. J Invest Dermatol 1986; 86: 433-437. 8 Pentland AP, Mahoney MG. Keratinocyte prostaglandin synthesis is enhanced by IL-1. J Invest Dermatol 1990; 94: 43-46. 9 Anbar TS, El-Ammawi TS, Barakat M et al. Skin pigmentation after NB-UVB and three analogues of prostaglandin F(2alpha) in guinea pigs: a comparative study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2010; 24: 28-31. 10 Sasaki S, Hozumi Y, Kondo S. Influence of prostaglandin F2alpha and its analogues on hair regrowth and follicular melanogenesis in a murine model. Exp Dermatol 2005; 14: 323-328.

Our study suggests that some toxic effects of docetaxel may be related to the excipients used in different formulations of the drug.

Malnutrition is frequent in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Nutritional deficiencies may negatively impact quality of life (QOL). This study examines the utility of the Malnutrition-Inflammation Score (MIS) in detecting nutritional risk (NR) and assesses the correlation between nutritional status and QOL in dialysis patients upon starting a nutritional intervention program (NIP). One hundred and twenty patients were included in this cross-sectional study. The MIS was used to detect NR and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL-SF) instrument version 1.2 was used to assess QOL. 62% of patients were found to be at NR (MIS > 5). Nutritional status was significantly correlated with all generic QOL sub-scales. On a multiple linear regression analysis, malnutrition showed the highest level of explanation in the Kidney Disease Summary Component which explained 28.9% of the variance; the Physical Component Summary which explained 33% of the variance; and the Mental Component Summary which explained 21.5% of the variance. Malnutrition was found to be the most significant predictor of impaired scores on the KDQOL-SF. The use of MIS to identify patients at NR and a nutritional assessment to detect malnutrition in its early stages are important given the effects a NIP can have on improving QOL in HD patients.

Misuse of antibiotics can provoke increased bacterial resistance. There are no immediate prospects of any new broad-spectrum antibiotics, especially any with activity against enterobacteria, coming onto the market. Therefore, programmes should be implemented to optimise antimicrobial therapy. In a quasi-experimental study, the results for the pre-intervention year were compared with those for the 3 years following the application of an antimicrobial stewardship programme. We describe 862 interventions carried out as part of the stewardship programme at the Hospital Costa del Sol from 2009 to 2011. We examined the compliance of the empirical antimicrobial treatment with the programme recommendations and the treatment optimisation achieved by reducing the antibiotic spectrum and adjusting the dose, dosing interval and duration of treatment. In addition, we analysed the evolution of the sensitivity profile of the principal microorganisms and the financial savings achieved. 93 % of the treatment recommendations were accepted. The treatment actions taken were to corroborate the empirical treatment (46 % in 2009 and 31 % in 2011) and to reduce the antimicrobial spectrum taking into account the antibiogram results (37 % in 2009 and 58 % in 2011). The main drugs assessed were imipenem/meropenem, used in 38.6 % of the cases, and cefepime (20.1 %). The sensitivity profile of imipenem against Pseudomonas aeruginosa increased by 10 % in 2011. Savings in annual drug spending (direct costs) of 30,000 Euros were obtained. Stewardship programmes are useful tools for optimising antimicrobial therapy. They may contribute to preventing increased bacterial resistance and to reducing the long-term financial cost of antibiotic treatment.

BackgroundGeneric drugs may help to support antiretroviral treatment. We want to assess the efficacy and safety at 24 weeks of the change of coformulated (abacavir + lamivudine + dolutegravir) to (abacavir + lamivudine) coformulated as a generic pharmaceutical specialty + dolutegravir.MethodsBetween February and June 2017, switch from Triumeq® to a generic pharmaceutical specialty co-formulated tablet (abacavir + lamivudine) plus Tivicay® was made. Demographic, viroimmunological characteristics and the Charlson index were collected. Six months after switching, efficacy and safety were evaluated.ResultsSwitch was made in 93 patients, with a mean age of 47 years, after six months there were five patients (5.4%) with viral loads between 50 and 400 copies, no patient had viral loads of greater amount. There were 2 interruptions due to toxicity (2.15%), in relation to symptoms of the central nervous system. There were no differences in the amount of years with HAART, nor in the previous months with the STR regimen based on abacavir + lamivudine + dolutegravir, nor in the Charlson index. The effective saving in 2017 derived from the change in these 93 patients was € 125.512.ConclusionsThe change from a regimen of abacavir + lamivudine + dolutegravir seems to be safe and effective at 24 weeks.