26/02/2021 - Press release
HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) or good cholesterol is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease as it transports cholesterol deposited in the arteries to the liver to be eliminated. This contrasts with the so-called bad cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), which causes cholesterol to accumulate in the arteries and increases cardiovascular risk. Although drugs that lower bad cholesterol reduce cardiovascular risk, those that raise good cholesterol have not proven effective in reducing the risk of heart disease. This paradox has called into question the relationship between good cholesterol and cardiovascular risk, and researchers are now studying the characteristics of these HDL or good cholesterol particles.
12/01/2021 - Covid-19
Almost half of Spain's healthcare professionals have a high risk of suffering a mental disorder after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, 3.5% are experiencing suicidal thoughts (presence of a death wish and persistent thoughts of wanting to die). This is the conclusion of two studies (MINDCOVID project) that surveyed staff in eighteen hospitals across six autonomous regions of Spain (Andalusia, the Basque Country, Castile and Leon, Catalonia, Madrid and the Community of Valencia), led by researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), the CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), and the CIBER in Mental Health (CIBERSAM), in addition to doctors from the Hospital del Mar. The data has been published by the Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental and the journal Depression & Anxiety.
29/12/2020 - Press release
A study that has just been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that high levels of triglycerides (the most common type of fat in the body), as well as those of remnant cholesterol (in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins), increase the risk of suffering cardiovascular disease in high-risk patients, even if they take the usual treatment to control blood cholesterol levels. The work is authored by researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona-IDIBAPS, and the CIBER on the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERObn).
06/11/2020 - General information
Each November, the Movember Foundation encourages men from all over the world to grow a moustache to raise awareness and funds for men's health research. The Health Services Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) is the Spanish coordinator for an international initiative funded by this foundation since 2017. The project, entitled "TrueNTH Global Registry- Prostate Cancer Outcomes", focuses on men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer and has the overarching aim of significantly improving the quality of care, and to leverage existing infrastructures and relationships to build success in this research area. During the last four years, nine countries have prospectively collected data from patients to create a joint dataset, expected to include information of more than10,000 patients. As part of this international registry, 25 Spanish sites are monitoring almost 700 patients so far.
Més informació "Movember: researching how to improve quality of life after prostate cancer"
08/10/2020 - Press release
Doing 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (fast walking or dancing, for example) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (running or other sports) a week, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), reduces your mortality risk by 16%. At the same time, cardiovascular mortality risk drops by 27% and cardiovascular event risk falls by 12%. This is highlighted in a study published by the Revista Española de Cardiología led by doctors from Hospital del Mar and researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), the University of Vic-Central Catalonia (UVic- UCC), and the CIBERCV and CIBERESP. The work also reveals that doing three to five times more physical activity than the recommended amount maximises the benefit.
Més informació "Following physical activity recommendations can reduce mortality risk by 16%"
07/10/2020 - Covid-19
Doctors from the Cardiology Service at Hospital del Mar together with researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and CIBERESP have identified two cardiac damage markers as elements for diagnosing risk in patients suffering from COVID-19. 1 in 3 patients analysed in the study had at least one of these indicators in their blood. Mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation was higher in these patients than in those who did not have it, almost 40% compared to less than 10%. 80% of the patients who died had elevated indicators of cardiac damage. This is the most extensive study published on the subject so far, with 872 patients analysed. The article has been published in the Revista Española de Cardiología. Two cardiac damage markers can be used as predictors for the risk of complications in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. This has been revealed by the most ambitious study carried out to date in this field, led by doctors and researchers from the Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), as well as CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP). The paper has just been published by the Revista Española de Cardiología.
Més informació "Two cardiac damage markers identified as predictors of risk in COVID-19 patients"
02/10/2020 - General information
Benign breast diseases (BBD), which are non-cancerous disorders of the breast, such as lumps, are known to increase the chances of subsequent breast cancer. Now a team of Hospital del Mar researchers have found that the way BBD is detected as part of a national screening programme is an indication of which are more likely to become cancerous. The findings from a team led by Dr. Xavier Castells, head of the epidemiology department at the Hospital del Mar and researcher of the Epidemiology and Evaluation research group at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), was presented at the 12th European Breast Cancer Conference on Saturday 3rd. BBD detected on the first occasion a woman attends for breast screening (usually at the age of 50 in Spain and many other European countries with national screening programmes) is classified as "prevalent" BBD, whereas those detected on subsequent visits, which occur every two years in Spain, are classified as "incident" BBD
10/08/2020 - Covid-19
The COVID-19 pandemic that, according to data from the Ministry of Health, has caused nearly 30,000 deaths in Spain, is hitting the most impoverished neighbourhoods the hardest, as confirmed by a study recently published in the Journal of Public Health and led by researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and IDIAPJGol. The work reveals that, during the peak of the epidemic in the city of Barcelona, the district with the lowest average income, Nou Barris, recorded an incidence of cases 2.5 times higher than that of the district with the highest income, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi. The work took into account the incidence of cases recorded by age between 26 February and 19 April, one of the peak periods of the disease in Barcelona, and compared this with the average income data by district. In total, almost 9,000 cases were analysed. The results highlight a direct relationship between lower income and a higher number of COVID-19 cases.
Més informació "COVID-19 hits hardest in the poorest areas of Barcelona"
10/08/2020 - Covid-19
The project is one of 12 selected by the evaluation committee and will receive the second highest amount of money, 250,000 euros. The study, which involves the University of Girona, the University of Vic-Central-University of Catalonia and the Foundation for Higher Studies in Health Sciences, the Trueta and Santa Caterina hospitals and the University Institute for Primary Health Care Research (IDIAP-Jordi Gol), with the company Gen inCode and several healthcare centres in the United States also showing an interest, will analyse genetic predisposition to coronary risk as a prognostic element of severity in the event of contracting COVID-19. The CARGENCORS study, or CARdiovascular GENetic risk score for Risk Stratification of patients positive for the SARS-CoV-2 (COvid19) virus, was selected by the FONDO SUPERA COVID-19 (Beat COVID-19 Fund) evaluation committee, organised by the association of Spanish Universities (CRUE), the CSIC, and Santander Bank. With a pot of 8.5 million euros, the fund will finance projects in various fields with the aim of minimising the impact of the current pandemic, focusing on three priority areas: applied research, projects with social impact and profitability, and strengthening the ICT capacity of the state university system.
20/05/2019 - General information
The nationwide MIND/COVID study, headed up by researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and Hospital del Mar, is one of the few projects funded so far by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The aim is to study the mental health of healthcare workers and other key groups, as well as COVID-19 patients and a sample of the general Spanish population. Natural disasters such as severe hurricanes, floods or earthquakes, and major epidemic outbreaks -such as SARS, MERS or Ebola- lead to an increase in acute stress, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and other mental health problems. This impact can affect the most vulnerable populations in particular, and lead to the emergence of mental disorders and addictions. Healthcare workers are a vulnerable population because of the risk of contagion and the enormous workload involved in trying to manage the disease.
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