Search results for "logistic models"

Characteristics of patients with hepatitis C virus-related chronic liver diseases just before the era of oral direct-acting antiviral therapy in Italy

2018

Background In 2017, oral direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection became available free of charge for all HCV-RNA-positive patients, irrespective of their fibrosis stage. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of HCV-related chronic liver disease (CLD) in Italy just before the introduction of DAA therapy. Patients and methods Patients with CLD were enrolled in two national surveys conducted in 2001 and in 2014. The two surveys prospectively enrolled patients aged older than 18 years referring to Italian liver units throughout the country using a similar clinical approach and analytical methods. Results Out of the 12 564 patie…

Role of Neutrophil Gelatinase-associated Lipocalin in the Detection of Contrast-induced Nephropathy in Patients Undergoing a Coronary Angiography

2015

Statins and other drugs: Facing COVID-19 as a vascular disease

2020

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi), angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors ("statins") have been hypothesized to affect COVID-19 severity. However, up to now, no studies investigating this association have been conducted in the most vulnerable and affected population groups (ie, older adults residing in nursing homes). The objective of this study was to explore the association of ACEi/ARB and/or statins with clinical manifestations in COVID-19-infected older adults residing in nursing homes.We undertook a retrospective multicenter cohort study to analyze the association between ACEi/ARB and/or statin use with clinical outcome of COVID-19. The …

Real-life effectiveness of ustekinumab in inflammatory bowel disease patients with concomitant psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis: An IG-IBD study

2019

Abstract Background Few data exist regarding the effectiveness of ustekinumab in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients treated for concomitant psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Aims to describe the outcomes of IBD patients who received subcutaneous ustekinumab through a dermatological or rheumatological prescription. Methods This multicenter, retrospective study included all IBD patients who were started on ustekinumab for concomitant active psoriasis/ psoriatic arthritis, irrespective of IBD activity. The primary endpoint was overall ustekinumab persistence, defined as the maintenance of therapy because of sustained clinical benefit for IBD. Results Seventy patients (64 Crohn’s disease…

Coffee Intake and Liver Steatosis: A Population Study in a Mediterranean Area

2018

Coffee drinking seems to have several beneficial effects on health outcomes. However, the effect on hepatic steatosis, depending on a high alcohol consumption (AFLD, alcoholic fatty liver disease) or on metabolic factors (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD), is still equivocal. Thus, we aimed to explore the potential association between coffee consumption and the presence and severity of hepatic steatosis in people with NAFLD or AFLD. In this cross-sectional study, coffee drinking was recorded using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and categorized as yes vs. no and as 0, 1, 2, ≥3. The degree of fatty liver was assessed through a standardized ultrasound examination (sc…

Is there association between chronic kidney disease and dental caries? A case-controlled study

2018

Background The purpose of this study was to assess the association between chronic kidney diseases (CKD) and dental caries. Material and Methods 107 patients with CKD and 107 with no systemic alteration were randomly included. DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth), plaque index, colony-forming units (CFU) of Streptococcus mutans and salivary composition (IgA total, IgA anti- Streptococcus mutans, calcium and urea) were evaluated. McNemar and Wilcoxon tests were used to compare test and control groups. Spearman test was used to correlate time of hemodialysis and variables studied. Associations between variables were evaluated by logistic regression analysis. Results The number of filled …

"Delirium Day": a nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

2016

Background To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods This is a point prevalence study (called “Delirium Day”) including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium wa…

Comparison of Epithor clinical national database and medico-administrative database to identify the influence of case-mix on the estimation of hospit…

2019

BackgroundThe national Epithor database was initiated in 2003 in France. Fifteen years on, a quality assessment of the recorded data seemed necessary. This study examines the completeness of the data recorded in Epithor through a comparison with the French PMSI database, which is the national medico-administrative reference database. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the influence of data quality with respect to identifying 30-day mortality hospital outliers.MethodsWe used each hospital's individual FINESS code to compare the number of pulmonary resections and deaths recorded in Epithor to the figures found in the PMSI. Centers were classified into either the good-quality data (GQD) …

Phospholipid breakdown and choline release under hypoxic conditions: inhibition by bilobalide, a constituent of Ginkgo biloba

1997

A marked increase of choline release from rat hippocampal slices was observed when the slices were superfused with oxygen-free buffer, indicating hypoxia-induced hydrolysis of choline-containing phospholipids. This increase of choline release was suppressed by bilobalide, an ingredient of Ginkgo biloba, but not by a mixture of ginkgolides. The EC50 value for bilobalide was 0.38 microM. In ex vivo experiments, bilobalide also inhibited hypoxia-induced choline release when given p.o. in doses of 2-20 mg/kg 1 h prior to slice preparation. The half-maximum effect was observed with 6 mg/kg bilobalide. A similar effect was noted after p.o. administration of 200 mg/kg EGb 761, a ginkgo extract con…

Single-Target Implicit Association Tests (ST-IAT) Predict Voting Behavior of Decided and Undecided Voters in Swiss Referendums

2016

Undecided voters represent a major challenge to political pollsters. Recently, political psychologists have proposed the use of implicit association tests (IAT) to measure implicit attitudes toward political parties and candidates and predict voting behavior of undecided voters. A number of studies have shown that both implicit and explicit (i.e., self-reported) attitudes contribute to the prediction of voting behavior. More importantly, recent research suggests that implicit attitudes may be more useful for predicting the vote of undecided voters in the case of specific political issues rather than elections. Due to its direct-democratic political system, Switzerland represents an ideal pl…