A relationship between vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been described. Considering that GDM prevalence depends on body mass index (BMI), our main objective was to determine if VDD is associated with GDM, independent of BMI. A cross-sectional study with 886 pregnant women was conducted in Elda (Spain) from September 2019 to June 2020. To assess the association, Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to estimate the prevalence ratio (PR). The observed GDM prevalence was 10.5%, while the VDD prevalence was 55.5%. In the crude model, both VDD and obesity were associated with GDM, but in the adjusted model, only VDD was statistically significant (PR = 1.635, p = 0.038). A secondary event analysis did not detect differences in VDD, but BMI yielded a higher frequency of births by cesarean section and newborns with a >90 percentile weight in the obesity group. In conclusion, VDD is associated with GDM, independent of BMI. Future longitudinal studies could provide information on causality.

Today, while there are effective drugs that reduce the risk of osteoporotic fracture, yet there are no broadly accepted criteria that can be used to estimate risks and decide who should receive treatment. One of the actual priorities of clinical research is to develop a set of simple and readily-available clinical data that can be used in routine clinical practice to identify patients at high risk of bone fracture, and to establish thresholds for therapeutic interventions. Such a tool would have high impact on healthcare policies. The main objective of the ESOSVAL-R is to develop a risk prediction scale of osteoporotic fracture in adult population using data from the Region of Valencia, Spain.

Background and objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of mortality in Spain, with screening programs, such as the faecal occult blood test and colonoscopy, having shown effectiveness in reducing CRC incidence and mortality. Despite these advancements, CRC screening uptake remains low in Spain, highlighting the need for studies comparing outcomes between screening-diagnosed and symptom-diagnosed patients to better understand the impact on overall survival and to quantify the clinical benefit in prognosis at diagnosis and at the end of follow-up. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study with the following objectives: to compare stage at diagnosis, all-cause mortality, and disease-specific mortality among people diagnosed with CRC based on screening and based on symptoms; to identify the risk factors associated with mortality in this population; and to evaluate the effectiveness of screening on survival and early detection. Our study included people diagnosed with CRC in the public hospital of Elda (Spain) from 2014 to 2018; follow-up was until 2023 or death. Our primary outcome was all-cause mortality, which we analysed using Kaplan–Meier curves. We also investigated CRC-specific mortality and other-cause mortality. Results: Our sample included 315 people (186 with symptom-based diagnoses, 129 with screening-based diagnoses). The mean length of follow-up was 62.8 months. The screening group had a higher prevalence of a family history of CRC (p = 0.008), a distal tumour location (p = 0.002), and a cancer stage of 0 or I (p < 0.001). The symptoms group had a higher prevalence of a proximal CRC (p = 0.002), other chronic diseases (p < 0.001), and stages II, III, and IV (p < 0.001). Two variables were associated with mortality: stage IV at diagnosis and previous cancers. People with a symptom-based diagnosis had a higher prevalence of stage IV at diagnosis and a higher cumulative incidence of CRC mortality and all-cause mortality at the end of follow-up (p < 0.05). The Kaplan–Meier curves also showed a higher rate of all-cause mortality in the symptoms group throughout the follow-up. Conclusion: CRC screening enables an earlier diagnosis and improves survival. These findings support public health policies that promote accessible and effective screening.

Family function may have an influence on the mental health deterioration of the caregivers of dependent family members and it could have a varying importance on the care of dependents. Little attention has been paid to the preparation of minor stroke survivors for the recovery trajectory or the spouse for the caregiving role. Therefore, this study protocol intends to analyze the influence of family function on the protection of patients with stroke sequels needing physiotherapy in the family environment.