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Due to its anticonvulsant properties, cannabidiol can be supportive as an adjuvant therapy in the management of drug resistant epilepsy. This retrospective observational study evaluates the intensity and frequency of the seizures of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy that have been treated with antiepileptic medication associated with CBD in low doses for at least 12 months. Thirty-four patients were included in the study. The most frequent diagnosis of epilepsy was focal symptomatic epilepsy and Lennox–Gastaut syndrome (35.2%). During the follow-up, there was a statistically significant decrease in the seizure frequency (t student p < 0.001). A high proportion of patients, 16, concluded the study with a total control of the seizures reaching a 100% improvement, 12 reported ≥ 75% improvement, 3 ≥ 50%, and 2 ≥ 25%; only 1 patient had an improvement of less than 25%. This is the first Latin American study that demonstrates that long-term CBD added to the usual drugs significantly reduces the frequency, duration, and type of seizures in the different etiologies of epilepsy, being especially effective on the seizures that are the most incapacitating, improving the quality of life of the individual and their family.

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Background. Soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) are rare tumors; they represent 1% of all tumors in adults. There are new diagnostic techniques to differentiate tumor types, and surgery continues to be the most important treatment for STS. Methods. This cross-sectional study analyzed the morbidity and mortality caused by STS in adults between 2010 and 2020 using national databases. Results. A total of 8,393 patients hospitalized due to STS were reported. The total number of deaths in Ecuador due to STS was 7,088 over the last decade, the provinces of Pichincha and Guayas registered the highest number of cases, and the mortality rate was 1.2 to 2.0 per 100,000 people. It is noteworthy that the lowest point of registered cases was in 2012. Conclusion. Soft-tissue sarcomas are rare tumors in Ecuador. The morbidity and mortality caused by these tumors have not changed in the last decade. National studies are needed to determine the prevalence of this illness and study intervention to lower mortality.

Objectives Pancreatic cancers in most patients in Ecuador are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease, which is associated with lower survival. To determine the characteristics and global survival of pancreatic cancer patients in a social security hospital in Ecuador between 2007 and 2017. Methods A retrospective cohort study and a survival analysis were performed using all the available data in the electronic clinical records of patients with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in a Hospital of Specialties of Quito-Ecuador between 2007 and 2017. The included patients were those coded according to the ICD 10 between C25.0 and C25.9. Our univariate analysis calculated frequencies, measures of central tendency and dispersion. Through the Kaplan-Meier method we estimated the median time of survival and analyzed the difference in survival time among the different categories of our included variables. These differences were shown through the log rank test. Results A total of 357 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 2007 and 2017 were included in the study. More than two-thirds (69.9%) of the patients were diagnosed in late stages of the disease. The median survival time for all patients was of 4 months (P25: 2, P75: 8). Conclusions The statistically significant difference of survival time between types of treatment is the most relevant finding in this study, when comparing to all other types of treatments.