Epidemiologic and socioeconomic factors impacting hepatitis B virus and related hepatocellular carcinoma

Chronic Hepatitis B is a highly prevalent disease worldwide and is estimated to cause more than 800000 annual deaths from complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although universal hepatitis B vaccination programs may have reduced the incidence and prevalence of chronic hepatitis B and related HCC, the disease still imposes a significant healthcare burden in many endemic regions such as Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. This is especially concerning given the global underdiagnosis of hepatitis B and the limited availability of vaccination, screening, and treatment in low-resource regions. Demographics including male gender, older age, ethnicity, and geographic location as well as low socioeconomic status are more heavily impacted by chronic hepatitis B and related HCC. Methods to mitigate this impact include increasing screening in high-risk groups according to national guidelines, increasing awareness and health literacy in vulnerable populations, and developing more robust vaccination programs in under-served regions.     

Effectiveness of a community organizing intervention on mortality and its equity among older residents in Japan: A JAGES quasi-experimental study

Interventions that involve key aspects of community organizing, such as quantitative community assessments and organizational partnership support for the community, may promote residents' health. We evaluated the effectiveness of this form of intervention on mortality and its variability across individual-level household equivalized income tertiles, comparing 52,858 residents aged 65 and above in 12 intervention municipalities to 39,006 residents in nine control municipalities in Japan. During 1,166 days of follow-up, the adjusted hazard ratio for cumulative mortality among men in the intervention municipalities was 0.92 (95% confidence interval: 0.86, 0.99) compared to those in the control group, with similar results being observed across all income levels. Active utilization of data to evaluate communities and building intersectoral partnerships might lower older male residents’ mortality risk, regardless of their income status.     

What is the impact of zinc deficiency for pancreatectomies in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma?

Backgroundand purpose: Zinc is an essential element for human health and plays an important role in metabolic, immunological and other biological processes. The present study was conducted to investigate the association between zinc deficiency (ZD) and the perioperative clinical course in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).MethodsOf 216 patients with PDAC who underwent elective pancreatectomy between 2013 and 2017 at our institution, 206 patients with sufficient clinical data were retrospectively reviewed. The perioperative variables were compared and the risk factors associated with infectious complications were identified.ResultsZD was preoperatively present in 36 (17.5%) of 206 patients with PDAC. In the patients of the ZD group, a higher proportion of males, higher preoperative modified Glasgow prognostic scores, a higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and a higher occurrence of postoperative infectious complications after pancreatectomy were observed, compared to the non-ZD group. By a univariate analysis, three risk factors were significantly associated with infectious complications after pancreatectomy: ZD (vs non-ZD: p = 0.002), serum albumin <3.5 g/dl (vs ≥ 3.5 g/dl: p = 0.005), and the procedure of pancreaticoduodenectomy (vs others: p = 0.013). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, the occurrence of infectious complications was significantly associated with ZD (OR 3.430, 95%CI 1.570 to 7.490, p = 0.002) and the procedure of pancreaticoduodenectomy (OR 2.030, 95%CI 1.090 to 3.770, p = 0.025).ConclusionsThe current study newly demonstrated that ZD could serve as a preoperative predictor of infectious complications after pancreatectomies in the patients with PDAC.     

General vaccination willingness and current vaccination status in relation to clinical and psychological variables in patients with multiple sclerosis

BackgroundInfections can have a significant impact on morbidity and mortality in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Therefore, vaccinations are of immense importance. If vaccination willingness is to be increased, possible influencing factors should be identified. The aim of the present study was to investigate the status of active immunisation in MS patients in association with sociodemographic, clinical-neurological, psychopathological and personality variables using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.MethodFour hundred and four MS patients from two German neurological hospitals were examined for their vaccination attitudes, in detail, the general willingness to vaccinate and the current vaccination status of mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) as well as tetanus and influenza. We also looked at the current level of disability in relation to the current vaccination status, as well as possible associated personality and psychopathological variables.ResultsPatients with a complete MMR vaccination status were significantly younger and those with a complete influenza vaccination status were significantly older than those with related incomplete vaccination status. Tetanus vaccination status completeness did not differ depending on age and did not show substantial association with personality scores. However, influenza vaccination completeness was associated with differences in personality and psychopathological variables; extraversion, openness, novelty seeking, harm avoidance and anxiety. A reported general vaccination willingness was significantly correlated with the current completeness of tetanus and influenza vaccinations. Novelty seeking, persistence, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and neuroticism were found associated with an increased vaccination willingness. Anxiety and depression were not related to general vaccination willingness.ConclusionsNo specific personality trait could be defined on its own in relation to general vaccination willingness or complete vaccination status. Younger patients should be made more aware of influenza vaccination. Reasons for rather low vaccination rates need to be further investigated.     

郑州地区孕妇铁营养状况及其影响因素调查

目的 探讨郑州地区孕妇铁营养状况及其影响因素。方法 以2021年4—8月在郑州市某三家医院建立健康档案并进行孕期体检的孕妇作为研究对象进行问卷调查及铁营养状况检测,采用描述流行病学方法对孕妇铁营养状态进行分析,并采用单、多因素分析方法对孕妇铁缺乏状况影响因素进行分析。结果 共有3 258例孕妇参与本次研究,其中妊娠早期989例,占30.36%,妊娠中期1 125例,占34.53%,妊娠晚期1 144例,占35.11%。在3 258名孕妇中,共有773例为铁缺乏,铁缺乏的检出率为23.73%。多因素分析结果显示,年龄≥35岁（OR=2.726）、处于妊娠的中期或晚期（OR=3.037,3.438）、月经初潮年龄<13岁（OR=2.432）、经产妇（OR=3.493）、流产次数≥3次（OR=2.648）、孕前月经量≥100 mL/次（OR=2.420）、文化程度为初中及以上（OR=0.517,0.459）、居住在农村（OR=3.684）、家庭月收入>3 000元及以上（OR=0.601,0.542）、居住房屋装修时间<1年（OR=6.449）、罹患消化系统疾病（OR=4.716）、有营养补齐剂摄入（OR=0.355）是孕妇铁缺乏的影响因素。结论 郑州市孕妇铁缺乏检出率较高,需要尽早给予针对性的干预。部分因素被确定为该地区孕妇人群发生铁元素缺乏的影响因素,可选择性的对其中危险因素给予干预。     

A Predictive Model for Reactive Tube Feeding in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Definitive (Chemo) Radiotherapy

AimsCareful management of a patient's nutritional status during and after treatment for head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCC) is crucial for optimal outcomes. The aim of this study was to develop a model for stratifying a patient's risk of requiring reactive enteral feeding through a nasogastric tube during radiotherapy for HNSCC, based on clinical and treatment-related factors.Materials and methodsA cohort of consecutive patients treated with definitive (chemo)radiotherapy for HNSCC between January 2016 and January 2018 was identified in the institutional electronic database for retrospective analysis. Patients requiring enteral feeding pretreatment were excluded. Clinical and treatment data were obtained from prospectively recorded electronic clinical notes and planning software.ResultsBaseline patient characteristics and tumour-related parameters were captured for 225 patients. Based on the results of the univariate analysis and using a stepwise backwards selection process, clinical and dosimetric variables were selected to optimise a clinically predictive multivariate model, fitted using logistic regression. The parameters found to affect the probability, P, of requiring a nasogastric feeding tube for >4 weeks in our clinical multivariate model were: tumour site, tumour stage (early T0/1/2 stage versus advanced T3/T4 stage), chemotherapy drug (none versus any drug) and mean dose to the contralateral parotid gland. A scoring model using the regression coefficients of the selected variables in the clinical multivariate model achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.745 (95% confidence interval 0.678–0.812), indicating good discriminative performance. Internal validation of the model involved splitting the dataset 80:20 into training and test datasets 10 times and assessing differences in AUC of the model fitted to these.ConclusionsWe developed an easy-to-use prediction model based on both clinical and dosimetric parameters, which, once externally validated, can lead to more personalised treatment planning and inform clinical decision-making on the appropriateness of prophylactic versus reactive enteral feeding.