Search results for "Epidemiology"
showing 10 items of 4214 documents
Alternative psychotherapies: Conceptual elucidation and epidemiological framework
2020
This article elucidates and defines alternative psychotherapies, as well as describes the variables that explain why some professional psychologists are prone to endorse these practices. First, the novel concept of “complementary and alternative psychotherapies” (CAP) is defined within the framework of the established hierarchy of clinical evidence. Second, we report a literature review to aid understanding of the main variables explaining why some clinicians prefer CAP. We review rejection of scientific reasoning, misconceptions about human nature, and pragmatic limitations of evidence-based practice.
A survey to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with the risk of foodborne infection in a sample of Sicilian general population
2022
<abstract> <p>Although foodborne infections contracted at home are frequent diseases worldwide, there is a general lack of information. Main purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of a sample of the general Sicilian population about the risk of contracting foodborne diseases. It was carried out through a web-based questionnaire to a Sicilian population sample. The questionnaire collected socio-demographic data, health issues, KAP and self-reported diseases. Scores were calculated for summarizing the results. A total of 373 subjects participated into the study. Overall, 65.15% of the participants were females, 48.26% of all…
Genotyping of bovine diarrhea virus (BVDV) isolated from cattle in Sicily
2011
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea - Mucosal Disease (BVD-MD) is a widely spread infectious disease that cause economically important losses in farms. Several epidemiological studies indicate a high genetic heterogeneity among Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV) strains circulating in Italy. The aim of this study was to investigate the genotypes of BVDV in Sicily, a region in the South of Italy. For this purpose, 17 BVDV strains collected from cattle breed in Sicily between 2005 and 2008 were genetically typed by sequencing of 5'-untraslated region (5’-UTR) of the viral genome. In this study, phylogenetic analysis showed that all 17 examined strains were clustered within the BVDV genotype 1. Particular…
Body size at birth and age-related macular degeneration in old age
2019
Purpose To study associations between body size at birth and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in old age. Methods The study sample consists of 1497 community-dwelling individuals (56.1% women) aged 67-89 years with birth data and retinal data collected twice in old age 5 years apart. Birth data (weight, length, birth order) were extracted from original birth records. Digital retinal photographs were graded to determine AMD status. Data on covariates were collected at the baseline physical examination in old age. Multivariable regression analyses were used to study the association between birth data and AMD adjusting for known confounding factors, including birth year cohort effects. R…
Five insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
2020
The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 provides a rules-based synthesis of the available evidence on levels and trends in health outcomes, a diverse set of risk factors, and health system responses. GBD 2019 covered 204 countries and territories, as well as first administrative level disaggregations for 22 countries, from 1990 to 2019. Because GBD is highly standardised and comprehensive, spanning both fatal and non-fatal outcomes, and uses a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of hierarchical disease and injury causes, the study provides a powerful basis for detailed and broad insights on global health trends and emerging challenges. GBD …
Separating the Mechanism-Based and Off-Target Actions of Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein Inhibitors With CETP Gene Polymorphisms
2010
Background— Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, but torcetrapib, the first-in-class inhibitor tested in a large outcome trial, caused an unexpected blood pressure elevation and increased cardiovascular events. Whether the hypertensive effect resulted from CETP inhibition or an off-target action of torcetrapib has been debated. We hypothesized that common single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the CETP gene could help distinguish mechanism-based from off-target actions of CETP inhibitors to inform on the validity of CETP as a therapeutic target. Methods and Results— We compared the effect of CETP single-nucleotide polymorphisms …
Dysfunctional High-Density Lipoproteins Are Associated With a Greater Incidence of Acute Coronary Syndrome in a Population at High Cardiovascular Risk
2020
Background: Studies have failed to establish a clear link between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and cardiovascular disease, leading to the hypothesis that the atheroprotective role of HDL lies in its biological activity rather than in its cholesterol content. However, to date, the association between HDL functional characteristics and acute coronary syndrome has not been investigated comprehensively. Methods: We conducted a case-control study nested within the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) cohort, originally a randomized trial in which participants followed a Mediterranean or low-fat diet. Incident acute coronary syndrome cases (N=167) were individually matched …
Epidemiology, diagnosis and management of hirsutism: a consensus statement by the Androgen Excess and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Society.
2012
Background Hirsutism, defined by the presence of excessive terminal hair in androgen-sensitive areas of the female body, is one of the most common disorders in women during reproductive age. Methods We conducted a systematic review and critical assessment of the available evidence pertaining to the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of hirsutism. Results The prevalence of hirsutism is ~10% in most populations, with the important exception of Far-East Asian women who present hirsutism less frequently. Although usually caused by relatively benign functional conditions, with the polycystic ovary syndrome leading the list of the most frequent etiologies, hirsutism may be th…
Chronicles of rice, mosquitoes and malaria in Spain: the case of the province of Valencia (18th-20th centuries)
2010
This study analyzes the situation of the rice fields in the Valencia province (Eastern Spain) during the centuries XVIII-XX. This area, together with the region of Campo Arañuelo (Western Spain), is one of the territories with highest malaria prevalence during the Spain's Modern History. Medical, demographic, social, economic and legal issues related with the problematic of the rice during this epoch are also discussed. Furthermore, this article provides information about the supposed transmission mechanisms of the disease, as well as the fight against it through chemotherapeutic and environmental sanitation techniques.
Modeling of medical activity heterogenity to improve the hospital management by diagnosis-related groups
1998
Since the early 1980s healthcare systems in the industrialized nations have been undergoing radical reform aimed at curbing overspending of hospital expenditure. After a discussion of the limits of a prospective payment due to heterogeneity of costs within DRGs, we demonstrate the ability of anovel statistical model to identify high cost patients. We derive from this statistical model an economic heuristic in order to account for high cost patients in budget allocation and a Structural and Contingent method is proposed as a budgeting tool. Economic analysis based on this modeling of DRG heterogeneity further reveals the potential for improving the equity and the efficiency of the prospectiv…