Search results for " Epidemiologic"
showing 10 items of 97 documents
Effects of Heat Waves on Mortality
2013
Heat waves and air pollution are both associated with increased mortality. Their joint effects are less well understood.We explored the role of air pollution in modifying the effects of heat waves on mortality, within the EuroHEAT project. Daily mortality, meteorologic, and air pollution data from nine European cities for the years 1990-2004 were assembled. We defined heat waves by taking both intensity and duration into account. The city-specific effects of heat wave episodes were estimated using generalized estimating equation models, adjusting for potential confounders with and without inclusion of air pollutants (particles, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide). To …
Factors influencing the opioid response in advanced cancer patients with pain followed at home: The effects of age and gender
2000
The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of age and gender on pain characteristics and opioid response in advanced cancer patients followed at home. A perspective study was carried out in a sample of 181 consecutive advanced cancer patients who required opioids in the last 4 weeks before death. Pain intensity and symptoms associated with opioid therapy at weekly intervals for 4 weeks were recorded, as were the previous oncological treatments. Opioid doses increased over time, but remained stable in the last 2 weeks of life, while pain intensity decreased over time despite unchanged use of NSAIDs. A considerable increase in symptom intensity was observed in the last weeks of life,…
Vitamin K antagonists' use and fracture risk: results from a systematic review and meta‐analysis
2015
Background: Although vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) lower serum values of bone deposition markers, the link with osteoporosis and fractures remains controversial. Objectives: To assess whether the use of VKAs is associated with an increased prevalence and/or incidence of osteoporosis, fractures, or lower bone mineral density (BMD) values. Methods: We conducted a systematic PubMed and EMBASE literature search until August 31, 2014, and a meta-analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies investigating fractures and BMD, comparing patients treated with VKAs and healthy controls (HCs) or with patients with medical illness (medical controls, MCs). Standardized mean differences ± 95% and co…
Phytosterol plasma concentrations and coronary heart disease in the prospective Spanish EPIC cohort
2010
Phytosterol intake with natural foods, a measure of healthy dietary choices, increases plasma levels, but increased plasma phytosterols are believed to be a coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factor. To address this paradox, we evaluated baseline risk factors, phytosterol intake, and plasma noncholesterol sterol levels in participants of a case control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Spanish cohort who developed CHD (n = 299) and matched controls (n = 584) who remained free of CHD after a 10 year follow-up. Sitosterol-to-cholesterol ratios increased across tertiles of phytosterol intake (P = 0.026). HDL-cholesterol level increased, …
Left ventricular mass in hypertensive patients with mild-to-moderate reduction of renal function
2010
Aim: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an independent predictor of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between LV mass and mild-to-moderate renal dysfunction in a group of non-diabetic hypertensives, free of CV diseases, participating in the Renal Dysfunction in Hypertension (REDHY) study. Methods: Patients with diabetes, a body mass index (BMI) of more than 35 kg/m 2 , secondary hypertension, CV diseases and a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of less than 30 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 were excluded. The final sample included 455 patients, who underwent echocardiographic examination and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.…
Neuropsychological testing of cognitive impairment in euthymic bipolar disorder: an individual patient data meta-analysis
2013
© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The MOAHLFA index of irritant sodium lauryl sulfate reactions: first results of a multicentre study on routine sodium lauryl sulfate patch testing
2004
In a multicentre study of the German Contact Dermatitis Research Group, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) 0.25% and 0.5% aq. has been added to routine allergen patch tests to assess its properties as a convenient diagnostic indicator of individual susceptibility to irritation at the time of patch testing. Previous studies indicated that irritant SLS reactivity may be related to individual factors such as age and sex. As these factors are, in turn, among the important predictors of contact allergy to many allergens, e.g. summarized in the 'MOAHLFA index', the impact of the MOAHLFA factors on irritant SLS patch test reactivity, and thus a potential for confounding, was assessed in the 5971 particip…
Pregnancy outcomes in women with advanced HIV infection in Italy
2011
Pregnancy has been associated with a low risk of HIV disease progression. Most pregnancies with HIV currently involve women who have not experienced AIDS-defining events, and are clinically classified as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) groups A or B. We evaluated the main maternal outcomes among pregnant women with more advanced HIV disease, defined by CDC-C disease stage. Data from the Italian National Program on Surveillance on Antiretroviral Treatment in Pregnancy were used. A total of 566 HIV-infected mothers, 515 in stage A or B (CDC-AB group) and 51 in stage C (CDC-C group) were evaluated. The two groups had similar baseline characteristics. No differences were found …
Confounding factors of transvaginal ultrasound accuracy in endometrial cancer.
2020
Endometrial cancer is the most frequently diagnosed gynecological tumour. Transvaginal ultrasound has a leading role in the preoperative evaluation of endometrial cancer patients. The study aimed to identify factors that can worsen the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound in endometrial cancer patients. We retrospectively analysed 290 patients with histological diagnosis of endometrial adenocarcinoma. Two-dimensional (2D) gray-scale ultrasound and power Doppler imaging were performed. Age, menopause status, obesity, parity, Figo stage and benign uterine disorders were evaluated as possible factors worsening the diagnostic accuracy of the ultrasonography. FIGO stage IB was the main…
Analgesic effect of intravenous ketamine in cancer patients on morphine therapy: A randomized, controlled, double-blind, crossover, double-dose study
2000
Pain not responsive to morphine is often problematic. Animal and clinical studies have suggested that N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, such as ketamine, may be effective in improving opioid analgesia in difficult pain syndromes, such as neuropathic pain. A slow bolus of subhypnotic doses of ketamine (0.25 mg/kg or 0.50 mg/kg) was given to 10 cancer patients whose pain was unrelieved by morphine in a randomized, double-blind, crossover, double-dose study. Pain intensity on a 0 to 10 numerical scale; nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, and dry mouth, using a scale from 0 to 3 (not at all, slight, a lot, awful); Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (0- 30); and arterial pressur…