Search results for "informatics"

The Impact of Prescribed Dosage Assumptions on the Evaluation of Adherence and Persistence to Medication in Patients After Acute Myocardial Infarction

2021

Medication adherence is a significant problem in public health. Prescription-level pharmacy databases have great potential for monitoring actual drug adherence patterns at the healthcare system level. Many research papers have reported adherence estimates in different settings and populations. However, comparison between studies is not always straightforward due to different approaches taken when computing adherence. A crucial component to accurately estimate adherence is the availability of days’ supply information for each dispensing event. Reasonable assumptions regarding medication dosage have to be made, when this information is not available. In this study, we evaluate adherence and p…

2018

Background: In the primary and secondary prevention of civilization diseases, regular physical activity is recommended in international guidelines to improve disease-related symptoms, delay the progression of the disease, or to enhance postoperative outcomes. In the preoperative context, there has been a paradigm shift in favor of using preconditioning concepts before surgery. Web-based interventions seem an innovative and effective tool for delivering general information, individualized exercise recommendations, and peer support. Objective: Our first objective was to assess feasibility of our Web-based interventional concept and analyze similarities and differences in a sustained exercise …

Post-graduate medical education in public health: the case of Italy and a call for action

2017

Summary Public health technical expertise is of crucial importance to inform decision makers’ action in the field of health and its broader determinants. Improving education and training of public health professionals for both practice and research is the starting point to strengthen the role of public health so that current health challenges can be efficiently tackled. At the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) Deans’ & Directors’ 2017 Annual Retreat, we presented the structure and management of public health training system in Italy, and we reported recent data on Italian public health specialists’ educational experience, employment opportunities and jo…

Estimating Heart Rate, Energy Expenditure, and Physical Performance With a Wrist Photoplethysmographic Device During Running

2017

BackgroundWearable sensors enable long-term monitoring of health and wellbeing indicators. An objective evaluation of sensors’ accuracy is important, especially for their use in health care. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to use a wrist-worn optical heart rate (OHR) device to estimate heart rate (HR), energy expenditure (EE), and maximal oxygen intake capacity (VO2Max) during running and to evaluate the accuracy of the estimated parameters (HR, EE, and VO2Max) against golden reference methods. MethodsA total of 24 healthy volunteers, of whom 11 were female, with a mean age of 36.2 years (SD 8.2 years) participated in a submaximal self-paced outdoor running test and maximal voluntary exe…

Internet- and mobile-based aftercare and relapse prevention in mental disorders: A systematic review and recommendations for future research

2018

Background Mental disorders are characterized by a high likelihood of recurrence. Thus, aftercare and follow-up interventions aim to maintain treatment gains and to prevent relapse. Internet- and mobile-based interventions (IMIs) may represent promising instruments in tertiary prevention. This systematic review summarizes and evaluates the research on the efficacy of IMIs as aftercare or follow-up interventions for adults with mental health issues. Methods A systematic database search (PsycInfo, MEDLINE, CENTRAL) was conducted and studies selected according to predefined eligibility criteria (RCTs, adult population, clinical symptoms/disorder, assessed with validated instruments, clinical-p…

Comparison of frequency domain measures based on spectral decomposition for spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity assessment after Acute Myocardial Infa…

2021

Abstract The objective of this study is to present a new method to assess in the frequency domain the directed interactions between the spontaneous variability of systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and heart period (HP) from their linear model representation, and to apply it for studying the baroreflex control of arterial pressure in healthy physiological states and after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The method is based on pole decomposition of the model transfer function and on the following evaluation of causal measures of coupling and gain from the poles associated to low frequency (0.04−0.15 Hz) oscillatory components. It is compared with traditional non-causal approaches for the sp…

Effects of soluble milk protein or casein supplementation on muscle fatigue following resistance training program: a randomized, double-blind, and pl…

2014

International audience; Background: The effects of protein supplementation on muscle thickness, strength and fatigue seem largely dependent on its composition. The current study compared the effects of soluble milk protein, micellar casein, and a placebo on strength and fatigue during and after a resistance training program. Methods: Sixty-eight physically active men participated in this randomized controlled trial and underwent 10 weeks of lower-body resistance training. Participants were randomly assigned to the Placebo (PLA), Soluble Milk Protein (SMP, with fast digestion rate) or Micellar Casein (MC, with slow digestion rate) group. During the 10-week training period, participants were …

The effects of ezetimibe on LDL-cholesterol: quantitative or qualitative changes ?

2009

Ezetimibe represents the first of a new class of agents, the cholesterol absorption inhibitors, able to reduce low-density lipoproteins (LDL)-cholesterol by 15-25% from baseline in monotherapy and on top of statins and fibrates. To-date all the data regarding the efficacy of ezetimibe comes from the studies of its lipid-lowering power. Yet, recent findings from the ENHANCE study on atherosclerosis progression showed that the addition of ezetimibe to simvastatin in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia did not affect the mean change in carotid intima-media thickness, although a significant reduction in LDL-cholesterol levels was present. Therefore, we cannot exclude that e…

Outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2): First Evidences From International Scientific Literature and Pending Questions

2020

On 31 December, 2019, a cluster of 27 pneumonia cases of unknown etiology was reported by Chinese health authorities in Wuhan City (China) [...]

Adenosine receptor agonists for promotion of dermal wound healing

2008

Wound healing is a dynamic and complex process that involves a well-coordinated, highly regulated series of events including inflammation, tissue formation, revascularization and tissue remodeling. However, this orderly sequence is impaired in certain pathophysiological conditions such as diabetes mellitus, venous insufficiency, chronic glucocorticoid use, aging and malnutrition. Together with proper wound care, promotion of the healing process is the primary objective in the management of chronic poorly healing wounds. Recent studies have demonstrated that A(2A) adenosine receptor agonists promote wound healing in normal and diabetic animals and one such agonist, Sonedenoson, is currently …