Search results for " LAB"
showing 10 items of 2393 documents
Psychometric Assessment of the Japanese Version of the Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ): Reliability and Validity.
2016
Purpose The Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ) is a self-administered measure to evaluate symptom severity, physical function, and surgery satisfaction in lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). The purpose of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the Japanese ZCQ in LSS patients. Methods LSS patients who are scheduled to undergo surgery were recruited from 12 facilities. Responses to several questionnaires, including the Japanese ZCQ; the visual analogue scale (VAS) to evaluate the degree of pain in the buttocks/legs, numbness in the buttocks/legs, and low back pain; the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI); and the SF-36v2, were collected before surgery and again 3 months after sur…
The effectiveness of peer-support for people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2021
Background The practice of involving people living with HIV in the development and provision of healthcare has gained increasing traction. Peer-support for people living with HIV is assistance and encouragement by an individual considered equal, in taking an active role in self-management of their chronic health condition. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the effects of peer-support for people living with HIV. Methods We conducted a systematic review in accordance with international guidelines. Following systematic searches of eight databases until May 2020, two reviewers performed independent screening of studies according to preset inclusion criteria. We conducted ri…
Low bone mineral density in HIV-positive young Italians and migrants.
2020
Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals may have osteoporosis. We aimed to evaluate the bone mineral density (BMD) in naïve antiretroviral (ARV) treated HIV positive patients comparing native Italian group (ItG) to a Migrants group (MiG) upon arrival in Italy. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study on 83 HIV patients less than 50 years old. We used the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) within six months from the HIV diagnosis. Participants were categorized as having low BMD if the femoral neck or total lumbar spine Z-score was– 2 or less. Results MiG showed low BMD more often than ItG (37.5% vs.13.6%), especially for the female gender (16.7% vs. 0.0%). …
Increased liver stiffness is associated with mortality in HIV/HCV coinfected subjects: The French nationwide ANRS CO13 HEPAVIH cohort study
2019
Background The association between liver stiffness measurements (LSM) and mortality has not been fully described. In particular the effect of LSM on all-cause mortality taking sustained virological response (SVR) into account needs further study. Methods HIV/HCV participants in the French nation-wide, prospective, multicenter ANRS CO13 HEPAVIH cohort, with ≥1 LSM by FibroScan (FS) and a detectable HCV RNA when the first valid FS was performed were included. Cox proportional hazards models with delayed entry were performed to determine factors associated with all-cause mortality. LSM and SVR were considered as time dependent covariates. Results 1,062 patients were included from 2005 to 2015 …
A population-based screening for hepatitis C antibodies and active infection using a point-of-care test in a low prevalence area
2020
Background Data on the true prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the general population is essential. We evaluated a program implementing free universal HCV screening using a non-invasive point-of-care test (POCT) (OraQuick-HCV rapid test) in oral fluid in an urban area in Valencia, South-Eastern Spain. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed during 2015–2017. Free HCV screening was offered by regular mail to 11,500 individuals aged 18 and over, randomly selected from all census residents in the Health Department. All responding participants filled in a questionnaire about HCV infection risk factors and were tested in their tertiary Hospital. In those with a positive POC…
Effects of Suboptimally Presented Erotic Pictures on Moral Judgments: A Cross-Cultural Comparison.
2015
Previous research has identified a set of core factors that influence moral judgments. The present study addresses the interplay between moral judgments and four factors: (a) incidental affects, (b) sociocultural context, (c) type of dilemma, and (d) participant’s sex. We asked participants in two different countries (Colombia and Spain) to judge the acceptability of actions in response to personal and impersonal moral dilemmas. Before each dilemma an affective prime (erotic, pleasant or neutral pictures) was presented suboptimally. Our results show that: a) relative to neutral priming, erotic primes increase the acceptance of harm for a greater good (i.e., more utilitarian judgments), b) r…
Management of suspected COVID-19 patients in a low prevalence region
2020
The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 infection among population has imposed a re-organization of healthcare services, aiming at stratifying patients and dedicating specific areas where patients with suspected COVID-related respiratory disease could receive the necessary health care assistance while waiting for the confirmation of the diagnosis of COVID-19 disease. In this scenario, the pathway defined as a “grey zone” is strongly advocated. We describe the application of rules and pathways in a regional context with low diffusion of the infection among the general population in the attempt to provide the best care to respiratory patients with suspected COVID-19. To date, this process has avoided t…
A two-year follow-up of oral antioxidant supplementation in primary open-angle glaucoma: an open-label, randomized, controlled trial
2014
Purpose To evaluate the effect of oral antioxidant supplementation (OAS) on primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) over a 2-year follow-up period. Patients and methods In this open-label, randomized controlled trial, 117 eyes of 117 patients with mild or moderate POAG and intraocular pressure under control with topical antiglaucoma medications were recruited and randomly divided into three groups according to supplementation: (1) OAS with (ICAPS R® – Alcon Laboratories, n = 26); (2) OAS without ω-3 fatty acids (OFTAN MACULA® – Laboratorios Esteve, n = 28); and (3) a control group without OAS (n = 63). They all underwent visual field (VF) tests (Humphrey 24-2) and scans using a Fourier-domain op…
Retinal oxidation, apoptosis and age- and sex-differences in the mnd mutant mouse, a model of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis
2004
Retinal degeneration is an early and progressive event in many forms of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs), a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders with unknown pathogenesis. We here used the mutant motor neuron degeneration (mnd) mouse, a late-infantile NCL variant, to investigate the retinal oxidative state and apoptotic cell death as a function of age and sex. Total superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) levels revealed progressive increases in retinal oxyradicals and lipid peroxides of mnd mice of both sexes. Female mnd retinas showed a higher oxidation rate and consistently exhibited the 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE)-adduc…
Where are patients missed in the tuberculosis diagnostic cascade? A prospective cohort study in Ghana.
2020
BackgroundGhana's national prevalence survey showed higher than expected tuberculosis (TB) prevalence, indicating that many people with TB are not identified and treated. This study aimed to identify gaps in the TB diagnostic cascade prior to starting treatment.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted in urban and rural health facilities in south-east Ghana. Consecutive patients routinely identified as needing a TB test were followed up for two months to find out if sputum was submitted and/or treatment started. The causal effect of health facility location on submitting sputum was assessed before risk factors were investigated using logistic regression.ResultsA total of 428 persons …