BackgroundLow back pain and its associated incapacitating effects constitute an important healthcare and socioeconomic problem, as well as being one of the main causes of disability among adults of working age. The prevalence of non-specific low back pain is very high among the general population, and 60–70% of adults are believed to have suffered this problem at some time. Nevertheless, few randomised clinical trials have been made of the efficacy and efficiency of acupuncture with respect to acute low back pain. The present study is intended to assess the efficacy of acupuncture for acute low back pain in terms of the improvement reported on the Roland Morris Questionnaire (RMQ) on low back pain incapacity, to estimate the specific and non-specific effects produced by the technique, and to carry out a cost-effectiveness analysis.Methods/DesignRandomised four-branch controlled multicentre prospective study made to compare semi-standardised real acupuncture, sham acupuncture (acupuncture at non-specific points), placebo acupuncture and conventional treatment. The patients are blinded to the real, sham and placebo acupuncture treatments. Patients in the sample present symptoms of non specific acute low back pain, with a case history of 2 weeks or less, and will be selected from working-age patients, whether in paid employment or not, referred by General Practitioners from Primary Healthcare Clinics to the four clinics participating in this study.In order to assess the primary and secondary result measures, the patients will be requested to fill in a questionnaire before the randomisation and again at 3, 12 and 48 weeks after starting the treatment. The primary result measure will be the clinical relevant improvement (CRI) at 3 weeks after randomisation. We define CRI as a reduction of 35% or more in the RMQ results.DiscussionThis study is intended to obtain further evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture on acute low back pain and to isolate the specific and non-specific effects of the treatment.

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

Background: Venous leg ulcers constitute a chronic recurring complaint that affects 1.0-1.3% of the adult population at some time in life, and which corresponds to approximately 75% of all chronic ulcers of the leg. Multilayer compression bandaging is, at present, the only treatment that has been proved to be effective in treating this type of ulcer. There is no consensus, however, about the dressings that may be applied, beneath the compression, to promote the healing of this type of ulcer, as there does not seem to be any added benefit from using special dressings rather than simple, low-adherence ones. As well as analgesia, acupuncture provokes peripheral vasodilation, in skin and muscles -which has been demonstrated both experimentally and in clinical practice -probably due to the axon reflex, among other mechanisms. The aim of the present study is to measure the effectiveness and cost of compression treatment for venous leg ulcers combined with special dressings, in comparison with lowadherence ones and acupuncture.

Background: Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological condition presenting chronic motor and phonic tics, and important degree of comorbidity. Considered an uncommon illness, it first becomes apparent during childhood. Current standard treatment only achieves partial control of the condition, and provokes frequent, and sometimes severe, side effects.

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.