Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health problem worldwide and, in Spain, it is present in 15.1% of individuals. CKD is frequently associated with some comorbidities and patients need to be prescribed multiple medications. Polypharmacy increases the risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). There are no published studies evaluating the prevalence of potential drug–drug interactions (pDDIs) among CKD patients in any European country. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence, pattern, and factors associated with pDDIs among CKD patients using a drug interactions program. An observational cross-sectional study was carried out at Plasencia Hospital, located in Spain. Data were collected among patients with CKD diagnoses and pDDIs were assessed by the Lexicomp^® Drug Interactions platform. Data were obtained from 112 CKD patients. A total number of 957 prescribed medications were acknowledged, and 928 pDDIs were identified in 91% of patients. Age and concomitant drugs were significantly associated with the number of pDDIs (p < 0.05). According to the results, the use of programs for the determination of pDDIs (such as Lexicomp^®) is recommended in the clinical practice of CKD patients in order to avoid serious adverse effects, as is paying attention to contraindicated drug combinations.

Aims: This work examines the available scientific evidence about the efficiency of essential oils (EO) as an alternative therapy to traditional treatment of fungal infections, including onychomycosis, assessing the effect of the three EO most frequently studied for their antifungal activity (thyme, cinnamon and tea tree EO) against three causative agents of fungal diseases in humans: Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex and Candida albicans. Methods and Results: The PRISMA statement protocol was followed to conduct a bibliographical search and 54 articles that met all the inclusion criteria were retrieved. Differences were observed in the MIC and MFC values depending on the micro-organism strain and the EO used. The lowest MIC were observed with Cinnamomum zeylanicum EO (0.013–1120 μl ml−1) against the three micro-organisms. For MFC, the lowest value was found for Thymus vulgaris EO (4.2 μl ml−1) against Trichophyton rubrum. Conclusions: The antifungal effects of EO could be a very promising solution to overcome the therapeutic shortcomings of antimycotic medication. More experiments are needed to examine the properties of these oils to devise effective and nonaggressive therapies for treatment of dermatophytosis. Significance and Impact of Study: The results indicate that EO remain good candidates for future treatments and could provide a solution for failed medications and/or adverse reactions to current pharmacological treatments.

Background: This study examines the possible influence of factors such as nail shape and consistency, sex, and sports activity on the development of the most common nail disorders in a population of young people. Methods: The nail plates of 140 young people (66 females and 74 males) were studied. Of these 140 participants, 72 were runners who trained more than 10 hours a week and competed regularly, and 68 did not habitually do any sports activity. Nail shape, consistency, and disorders were examined, taking into account the sex of the participants and their sports activity. Results: A hard nail consistency is more frequent in runners (74.4%) than in people who do no sports activity (25.6%). In contrast, a soft nail consistency is more prevalent in participants who do no sports activity (70%) than in runners (30%). It was also shown that onychocryptosis is related to sex, as females had a higher prevalence of this nail disorder (57.8%, P = .016). However, young male runners showed the highest and most significant percentage of the presence of onychocryptosis (74.1%; P = .002). Conclusions: Sports activity by young male runners whose nails have a hard consistency seems to be directly related to the high incidence of onychocryptosis in this population.