Search results for "Status"
showing 10 items of 2571 documents
Prognostic factors of survival in patients with advanced cancer admitted to home care
2011
Abstract CONTEXT: Data regarding prognostication of life expectancy in patients with advanced cancer are of paramount importance to patients, families, and clinicians. However, data regarding patients followed at home are lacking. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between various factors recorded at the beginning of home care assistance and survival. METHODS: A sample of consecutive patients admitted to two home care programs was surveyed. A preliminary consensus was achieved as to the possible variables easy to be recorded at home. These included age at the time of home care admission, gender, residence, marital status, primary cancer diagnosis, Karnofsky Pe…
The course of symptom frequency and intensity in advanced cancer patients followed at home
2000
Four hundred consecutive patients who were referred to a home palliative care program were prospectively surveyed to estimate the prevalence and severity of common symptoms according to the changes in the performance status. Patients were admitted for the presence of different symptoms and psychosocial support. Common symptoms included in a standard form were rated for severity (absent 0, mild 1, moderate 2, severe 3) for each visit. Pain intensity was rated on a numerical scale (0-10). For each level of Karnofsky performance score (K), the frequency and the worse symptom intensity were recorded until patient's death. Data from 370 patients were analyzed. Pain was effectively controlled. In…
Individualized Comprehensive Lifestyle Intervention in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy with Curative or Palliative Intent: Who Participates?
2015
Objective Knowledge about determinants of participation in lifestyle interventions in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, particularly with palliative intent, remains poor. The objective of the present study was to identify determinants of participating in a 12 month individualized, comprehensive lifestyle intervention, focusing on diet, physical activity, mental stress and smoking cessation, in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with curative or palliative intent. The secondary objective was to identify participation determinants 4 months into the study. Methods Newly diagnosed cancer patients starting chemotherapy at the cancer center in Kristiansand/Norway (during a 16 month inc…
Stage-dependent agreement between cerebrospinal fluid proteins and FDG-PET findings in Alzheimer's disease.
2011
Cerebral hypometabolism and abnormal levels of amyloid beta (Aβ), total (t-tau) and phosphorylated tau (ptau) proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are established biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We examined the agreement between these biomarkers in a single center study of patients with AD of severity extending over a wide range. Forty seven patients (MMSE 21.4 ± 3.6, range 13-28 points) with incipient and probable AD underwent positron emission tomography with [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) and lumbar puncture for CSF assays of Aβ1-42, p-tau181, and t-tau. All findings were classified as either positive or negative for AD. Statistical analyses were performed for the whole samp…
Fatty Acid Profiles in Demented Patients: Identification of Hexacosanoic Acid (C26:0) as a Blood Lipid Biomarker of Dementia
2014
Background: Several lipid metabolism alterations have been described in the brain and plasma of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, suggesting a relation between lipid metabolism alteration and dementia. 15 16 Objective: We attempted to identify blood fatty acids as biomarkers of dementia. 17 Methods: Fatty acid profiles were established using gas chromatography with or without mass spectrometry on matched plasma and red blood cells (RBCs) of demented patients diagnosed with AD, vascular dementia, or other dementia, and compared with a control group of elderly individuals. The severity of dementia was evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination test. 18 19 20 Results: Fatty acid analysi…
Nutritional and global indexes of progression in dementia: a 12-month prospective study.
2012
Background: To assess the influence of body mass index (BMI) on the progression of dementia. Methods: Sixty elderly outpatients with untreated dementia followed for 12 months. All patients underwent clinical, cognitive, functional, and nutritional assessment at the baseline and after 12 months. Patients were divided into 2 groups by baseline BMI (< or ≥25 kg/m2). Results: Participants with a baseline BMI ≥25 kg/m2 had significantly higher Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (21 ± 5.1 vs 15.9 ± 5.5; P < .001), while clinical dementia rating (CDR) and multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) scores were similar in the 2 groups. After 12 months, the MMSE score decreased significan…
Parenteral nutrition improves nutritional status, autonomic symptoms and quality of life in transthyretin amyloid polyneuropathy
2016
Transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) is an inherited amyloidosis, leading to death in about ten years in most cases due to cardiac failure or wasting syndrome. Previous studies showed that modified body mass index was related to time before death, duration of gastrointestinal disturbances, malabsorption and functional capacity. We report two patients in whom nutritional status worsened despite diet modification, hypercaloric supplement and two relevant therapeutic approaches such as liver transplant and tafamidis meglumine, respectively. The first patient, a 52-year-old lady carrying Thr49Ala mutation, had a disease duration of twelve years and had lost weight up to 35 kg…
The frequency of alcoholism in patients with advanced cancer admitted to an acute palliative care unit and a home care program
2015
Abstract Context Cancer patients with a history of alcoholism may be problematic. The frequency of alcoholism among patients with advanced cancer has never been reported in Italy or other European countries. Objectives The aim of this prospective study was to determine the frequency of alcoholism, assessed with a simple and validated instrument, among patients with advanced cancer who were referred to two different palliative care settings: an acute inpatient palliative care unit (PCU) of a comprehensive cancer center in a metropolitan area and a home care program (HCP) in a territorial district, localized in the mountains of Italy. Methods A consecutive sample of patients admitted to an in…
Mould/dampness exposure at home is associated with respiratory disorders in Italian children and adolescents: the SIDRIA-2 Study
2005
Aims: To report on the relation between home mould and/or dampness exposure and respiratory disorders in a large sample of children and adolescents in Italy, accounting for age at time of exposure. Methods: 20 016 children (mean age 7 years) and 13 266 adolescents (mean age 13 years) completed questionnaires on indoor exposures and respiratory symptoms/diseases. Statistical analyses were adjusted for sex, age, questionnaire's compiler, area of residence, season of interview, parental educational status, family history of asthma, rhinitis, eczema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, presence of gas water heaters, passive smoking, pets, and active smoking (only for adolescents). Population…
Health status and quality of life of elderly persons with severe hemophilia born before the advent of modern replacement therapy
2009
SUMMARY BACKGROUND: More and more people with severe hemophilia reach an old age thanks to an effective treatment. There is no information on the health status and quality of life of elderly people with hemophilia born at a time when replacement therapy was hardly available. METHODS: Italian patients with severe hemophilia, aged >or=65 years and hence born in 1942 or earlier, were compared with elderly men without bleeding disorders matched for age, sex, geography and social status. The following aspects were evaluated: concomitant illness, orthopedic status, physical functioning and cognitive status. Measurements of generic and disease-specific health-related quality of life were also obta…