Search results for "confidence"
showing 10 items of 1394 documents
Efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2020
Background Bempedoic acid is a first-in-class lipid-lowering drug recommended by guidelines for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Our objective was to estimate its average effect on plasma lipids in humans and its safety profile. Methods and findings We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of phase II and III randomized controlled trials on bempedoic acid (PROSPERO: CRD42019129687). PubMed (Medline), Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases were searched, with no language restriction, from inception to 5 August 2019. We included 10 RCTs (n = 3,788) comprising 26 arms (active arm [n = 2,460]; control arm [n = 1,328]). Effect sizes for changes in lipids and high-…
Genetic polymorphisms affecting the phenotypic expression in familial hypercholesterolemia
2004
The clinical expression of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is highly variable even in patients carrying the same LDL receptor (LDL-R) gene mutation. This variability might be due to environmental factors as well as to modifying genes affecting lipoprotein metabolism. We investigated Apo E (2, 3, 4), MTP (-493G/T), Apo B (-516C/T), Apo A-V (-1131T/C), HL (-514C/T and -250G/A), FABP-2 (A54T), LPL (D9N, N291S, S447X) and ABCA1 (R219K) polymorphisms in 221 unrelated FH index cases and 349 FH relatives with defined LDL-R gene mutations. We found a significant and independent effect of the following polymorphisms on: (i) plasma LDL-C (Apo E, MTP and Apo B); (ii) plasma HDL-C (HL, …
Modelling the dynamics of the students’ academic performance in the German region of the North Rhine-Westphalia: an epidemiological approach with unc…
2013
Student academic underachievement is a concern of paramount importance in Europe, where around 15% of the students in the last high school courses do not achieve the minimum knowledge academic requirement. In this paper, we propose a model based on a system of differential equations to study the dynamics of the students academic performance in the German region of North Rhine-Westphalia. This approach is supported by the idea that both, good and bad study habits, are a mixture of personal decisions and influence of classmates. This model allows us to forecast the student academic performance by means of confidence intervals over the next few years.
Prevalence and Time Trends in Myopia Among Children and Adolescents.
2020
Background Myopia (near-sightedness) is increasing worldwide, especially in Asia. The aim of this study was to describe trends in the prevalence of myopia in Germany. Methods We analyzed data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS; baseline survey 2003-2006, N = 17 640; wave 2, 2014-2017, N = 15 023). The presence of myopia was determined from a parent questionnaire and validated by the use of a visual aid. The population prevalence of myopia was calculated. Based on the KiGGS wave 2 data, potential risk factors for myopia were identified by means of logistic regression. Results The prevalence of myopia at the age of 0-17 years in Germany…
Driving impairment and crash risk in Parkinson disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis
2018
ObjectivesTo provide the best possible evidence base for guiding driving decisions in Parkinson disease (PD), we performed a meta-analysis comparing patients with PD to healthy controls (HCs) on naturalistic, on-the-road, and simulator driving outcomes.MethodsSeven major databases were systematically searched (to January 2018) for studies comparing patients with PD to HCs on overall driving performance, with data analyzed using random-effects meta-analysis.ResultsFifty studies comprising 5,410 participants (PD = 1,955, HC = 3,455) met eligibility criteria. Analysis found the odds of on-the-road test failure were 6.16 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.79–10.03) times higher and the odds of sim…
Association between passive tobacco exposure and caries in children and adolescents. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
2017
To examine the available evidence on the association between exposure to tobacco use in the womb and in infancy and the presence of caries in primary and permanent dentition in children and adolescents. A systematic review was conducted through searches in 4 data bases (Pubmed, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science), complemented by hand-searching. Of the 559 articles identified, 400 were duplicates. Finally, 28 articles were included in the qualitative review and 21 in the meta-analysis. Their quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The quality was medium in 44% of the articles included and high in 56%. The overall meta-analysis gave a significant odds ratio (OR = 1.53, 95% conf…
Inter-and intra-tester reliability of a battery of cervical movement control dysfunction tests
2015
Abstract Background Apart from the cranio-cervical flexion test and the deep neck flexor endurance test, evidence related to reliability of cervical movement control dysfunction tests is lacking. Objectives This study investigated the inter- and intra-tester reliability of a battery of cervical movement control dysfunction tests and the effect of clinician experience on reliability in 15 patients with chronic neck pain and 17 non-neck pain controls. In addition, it explored whether impaired performance on this battery of tests was more frequently observed in the neck pain group. Design Inter and intra-tester reliability study. Method Participants were videotaped while performing a battery o…
Effectiveness of training in guideline-oriented biopsychosocial management of low-back pain in occupational health services – a cluster randomized co…
2021
Objective This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of brief training in the guideline-oriented biopsychosocial management of low-back pain (LBP) in occupational health services using a cluster-randomized design. A small sample of physiotherapists and physicians from the intervention units (N=12) were given three- to seven-day training focusing on the biopsychosocial management of LBP, while professionals in the control units (N=15) received no such training. Methods Eligible patients with LBP, with or without radicular pain, aged 18-65, were invited to participate. A web-based questionnaire was sent to all recruited patients at baseline, three months and one year. The primary outco…
Heritability of refractive astigmatism: a population-based twin study among 63- to 75-year-old female twins.
2013
PURPOSE: To examine the heritability of refractive astigmatism in older women. METHODS: Astigmatism was measured with an autorefractor in 88 monozygotic and 82 dizygotic female twin pairs aged 63 to 75 years. The prevalence and distribution of astigmatism and polar values J0 and J45 were estimated by standard statistical methods. Bivariate maximum likelihood model fitting was used to estimate genetic and environmental variance components using information from both eyes. RESULTS: Mean astigmatism of the more astigmatic eye was 0.93 diopters (D; SD ±0.58). Astigmatism of at least 0.25 D, 0.5 D, 0.75 D, or 1.0 D in either eye was present in 99.7%, 88.5%, 66.5%, and 46.2% of cases, respectivel…
Severe hypoglycemia is associated with antidiabetic oral treatment compared with insulin analogs in nursing home patients with type 2 diabetes and de…
2015
Abstract Objectives Severe hypoglycemia is associated with cognitive decline and dementia in older persons with type 2 diabetes. The role of antidiabetic treatments on severe hypoglycemia is unknown in dementia. The aims were to determine the prevalence of severe hypoglycemic events and investigate associations among severe hypoglycemic and specific antidiabetic treatments (classes of oral agents and types of insulin analogs) in a large sample of nursing home patients with diabetes according to dementia status. Design Cross-sectional observational study. Setting A total of 150 nursing homes across Italy. Participants A total of 2258 patients with type 2 diabetes (dementia = 1138, no dementi…