Search results for " Assessment"
showing 10 items of 3860 documents
Exploration into Uric and Cardiovascular Disease: Uric Acid Right for heArt Health (URRAH) Project, A Study Protocol for a Retrospective Observationa…
2018
The relevance of cardiovascular role played by levels of serum uric acid is dramatically growing, especially as cardiovascular risk factor potentially able to exert either a direct deleterious impact or a synergic effect with other cardiovascular risk factors. At the present time, it still remains undefined the threshold level of serum uric acid able to contribute to the cardiovascular risk. Indeed, the available epidemiological case studies are not homogeneous, and some preliminary data suggest that the so-called "cardiovascular threshold limit" may substantially differ from that identified as a cut-off able to trigger the acute gout attack. In such scenario, there is the necessity to clar…
Methodology for high-quality studies on course and prognosis of inflammatory bowel disease.
2012
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are characterized by a chronic course with an alternation of relapses and remissions. Questions about prognosis are important for the patient who wants to know how the disease will affect his/her life and also for clinicians to make management decisions. Correct selection of the patients is the basis for good methodological studies on the course of IBD. A great proportion of data on the course of IBD is derived from a limited number of cohort studies. Studies help to define the endpoints for clinical trials and to identify subsets of patients in whom the prognosis of the disease can be stratified according to clinical features. Specific scientific requirem…
Subclinical Kidney Damage in Hypertensive Patients: A Renal Window Opened on the Cardiovascular System. Focus on Microalbuminuria
2017
The kidney is one of the major target organs of hypertension. Kidney damage represents a frequent event in the course of hypertension and arterial hypertension is one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). ESRD has long been recognized as a strong predictor of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. However, over the past 20 years a large and consistent body of evidence has been produced suggesting that CV risk progressively increases as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) declines and is already significantly elevated even in the earliest stages of renal damage. Data was supported by the very large collaborative metaanalysis of the Chronic Kidney Disease …
Water and Sodium in Heart Failure: A Spotlight on Congestion.
2014
Despite all available therapies, the rates of hospitalization and death from heart failure (HF) remain unacceptably high. The most common reasons for hospital admission are symptoms related to congestion. During hospitalization, most patients respond well to standard therapy and are discharged with significantly improved symptoms. Post-discharge, many patients receive diligent and frequent follow-up. However, rehospitalization rates remain high. One potential explanation is a persistent failure by clinicians to adequately manage congestion in the outpatient setting. The failure to successfully manage these patients post-discharge may represent an unmet need to improve the way congestion is …
Measuring the Efficacy of Psychotropic Drugs: Clinical Symptoms and Rating Scales
1990
The pathophysiology of anxiety, affective and schizophrenic disorders is not known. Therefore the efficacy of psychotropic drugs cannot be tested by their effect on the pathophysiology of mental disorders. The efficacy of psychotropic drugs in the treatment of acute episodes can only be evidenced by the reduction of indicators of the severity of the target symptomatology in the controlled drug trials.
A survey on sleep questionnaires and diaries.
2017
[EN] Sleep assessment is a fundamental part of health evaluation. In fact, many diseases (such as obesity, diabetes, or hypertension, as well as psychiatric, neurological, and cardiovascular diseases) produce sleep disorders that are often used as indicators, diagnosis (symptoms), or even as predictors (eg, for depression) of health. For this reason, many efforts have been devoted to designing methods to control and report on sleep quality. Two of the most used sleep assessment tools are sleep questionnaires and sleep diaries. Both methods have a very low cost are easy to administer do not require a sleep centre (unlike, eg, polysomnography), and can be self-administered. Most important, as…
Couple therapy for depression in a naturalistic setting in Finland: a 2-year randomized trial
2012
The dialogical and narrative processes in couple therapy (CT) for depressions project was conducted to develop therapy for depression and to investigate the effectiveness of CT in everyday clinical practice; thus aiming at high external validity. Patients with moderate or major depression were randomized to a CT group (n = 29) and a control group (n = 22). The CT group needed significantly fewer therapy sessions. There were significant differences in favour of the CT group in terms of general mental health (symptom check list), Hamilton depression rating scale, global assessment of functioning and decreasing alcohol use. As regards depressive symptoms using the Beck depression inventory, 79…
Special Article - Exercise-induced right ventricular injury or arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM): The bright side and the dark side of the moon.
2020
There is still debate on the range of normal physiologic changes of the right ventricle or ventricular (RV) function in athletes. Genetic links to arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) are well-established. There is no current consensus on the importance of extensive exercise and exercise-induced injury to the RV. During the intensive exercise of endurance sports, the cardiac structures adapt to athletic load over time. Some athletes develop RV cardiomyopathy possibly caused by genetic predisposition, whilst others develop arrhythmias from the RV. Endurance sports lead to increased volume and pressure load in both ventricles and increased myocardial mass. The extent of volume increase and cha…
Reliability and concurrent validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form among pregnant women
2017
Abstract Sanda B, Vistad I, Haakstad LAH, Berntsen S, Sagedal LR, Lohne-Seiler H, Torstveit MK. Reliability and concurrent validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form among pregnant women. Background The International Physical Activity Questionnaire short-form (IPAQ-SF) is frequently used to assess physical activity (PA) level in the general adult population including pregnant women. However, the reliability and validity of the questionnaire in pregnancy is unknown. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to investigate test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of IPAQ-SF among pregnant women, and whether PA is reported differently among those who fu…
High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and Statin Initiation
2014
The assessment of cardiovascular risk and treatment of cardiovascular diseases are major public health issues worldwide. Inflammation is now recognized as a key regulatory process that links multiple risk factors for atherosclerosis. The substantial number of patients having cardiovascular events lack commonly established risk factors. The utility of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a circulating biomarker related to inflammation, may provide additional information in risk prediction. This review will consider the impact of hsCRP level on initiation of statin therapy.