HCV-related burden of disease in Europe: a systematic assessment of incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and mortality

Background  

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease, end-stage cirrhosis, and liver cancer, but little is known about the burden of disease caused by the virus. We summarised burden of disease data presently available for Europe, compared the data to current expert estimates, and identified areas in which better data are needed.     

Application of a theoretical model to evaluate COPD disease management

Background  

Disease management programmes are heterogeneous in nature and often lack a theoretical basis. An evaluation model has been developed in which theoretically driven inquiries link disease management interventions to outcomes. The aim of this study is to methodically evaluate the impact of a disease management programme for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on process, intermediate and final outcomes of care in a general practice setting.     

Adaptive coping strategies in patients with chronic pain conditions and their interpretation of disease

Background  

We examined which adaptive coping strategies, referring to the concept of 'locus of disease control', were of relevance for patients with chronic pain conditions, and how they were interconnected with patients' life satisfaction and interpretation of disease.     

Association of elevated blood pressure and impaired vasorelaxation in experimental Sprague-Dawley rats fed with heated vegetable oil

Background  

Poor control of blood pressure leads to hypertension which is a major risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease. The present study aimed to explore possible mechanisms of elevation in blood pressure following consumption of heated vegetable oil.     

Utility of WHOQOL-BREF in measuring quality of life in Sickle Cell Disease

Background  

Sickle cell disease is the commonest genetic disorder in Jamaica and most likely exerts numerous effects on quality of life (QOL) of those afflicted with it. The WHOQOL-Bref, which is a commonly utilized generic measure of quality of life, has never previously been utilized in this population. We have sought to study its utility in this disease population.     

High fat diet-induced non alcoholic fatty liver disease in rats is associated with hyperhomocysteinemia caused by down regulation of the transsulphuration pathway

Background  

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) causes increased oxidative stress and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Oxidative stress is now believed to be a major contributory factor in the development of non alcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common liver disorder worldwide. In this study, the changes which occur in homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism in high fat-diet induced non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats were investigated.     

C-reactive protein levels,airflow obstruction,and chronic kidney disease

Objectives  

There is some evidence that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be related, perhaps through systemic inflammation, which is common to both. However, this relationship has not yet been clearly demonstrated. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between airflow obstruction, CKD, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in Japanese men.     

The clinical diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease - reuse of electronic medical record data from 189 patients visiting a Swedish university hospital emergency department

Background  

The pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) diagnosis is mostly based on clinical findings. However, few studies have examined the clinical basis for the diagnostics of PID, which was the aim of this study.     

A systematic review of US state environmental legislation and regulation with regards to the prevention of neurodevelopmental disabilities and asthma

Background  

While much attention is focused on national policies intended to protect human health from environmental hazards, states can also prevent environmentally mediated disease through legislation and regulation. However, relatively few analyses have examined the extent to which states protect children from chemical factors in the environment.     

Perceived difficulty,importance, and satisfaction with physical function in COPD patients

Background  

Research suggests that patients' satisfaction with their physical functioning (SPF) is a critical component of HRQL. This study was designed to examine the extent to which perceptions of physical function and the value placed on physical function are related to satisfaction ratings. The sample consisted of older adults suffering from a progressively debilitating disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).     

Indium lung—case reports and epidemiology

Purpose  

The present review is aimed to introduce an new occupational lung disease, Indium Lung.     

Exploratory disease mapping: kriging the spatial risk function from regional count data

Background  

There is considerable interest in the literature on disease mapping to interpolate estimates of disease occurrence or risk of disease from a regional database onto a continuous surface. In addition to many interpolation techniques available the geostatistical method of kriging has been used but also criticised.     

Are we losing the battle against cardiometabolic disease? The case for a paradigm shift in primary prevention

Background  

Cardiovascular and diabetic disease are the leading and preventable causes of death worldwide. The currently prognosticated dramatic increase in disease burden over the next two decades, however, bespeaks a low confidence in our prevention ability. This conflicts with the almost enthusiastic reporting of study results, which demonstrate substantial risk reductions secondary to simple lifestyle changes.     

HIV and COPD: impact of risk behaviors and diseases on quality of life

Purpose  

Smoking worsens quality of life among HIV-infected individuals, but it remains unclear if this association is related simply to smoking or to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the end-organ disease caused by smoking.     

A space-time analysis of the proportion of late stage breast cancer in Massachusetts, 1988 to 1997

Background  

Spatial variation in patterns of disease outcomes is often explored with techniques such as cluster detection analysis. In other types of investigations, geographically varying individual or community level characteristics are often used as independent predictors in statistical models which also attempt to explain variation in disease outcomes. However, there is a lack of research which combines geographically referenced exploratory analysis with multilevel models. We used a spatial scan statistic approach, in combination with predicted block group-level disease patterns from multilevel models, to examine geographic variation in prostate cancer grade and stage at diagnosis.     

HIV Prevalence among Aboriginal British Columbians

Context  

There is considerable concern about the spread of HIV disease among Aboriginal peoples in British Columbia.     

Tetanus immunity in nursing home residents of Bolu,Turkey

Background  

Tetanus is a serious but vaccine-preventable disease and fatality rate of the disease is high in the neonates and the elderly. The aim of this study was to detect the tetanus antibody prevalence in the over sixty-year age residents of the nursing homes in Bolu.     

Probiotic properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus rhamnosus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus paracasei</Emphasis> isolated from human faeces

Background  

The possibility of using microbes to maintain health, and to prevent or treat disease is a topic as old as microbiology. The research of novel probiotic strains is important in order to satisfy the increasing request of the market and to obtain functional products in which the probiotic cultures are more active and with better probiotic characteristics than those already present on the market.     

Invasive meningococcal disease epidemiology and control measures: a framework for evaluation

Background  

Meningococcal disease can have devastating consequences. As new vaccines emerge, it is necessary to assess their impact on public health. In the absence of long-term real world data, modeling the effects of different vaccination strategies is required. Discrete event simulation provides a flexible platform with which to conduct such evaluations.     

Beyond traditional surveillance: applying syndromic surveillance to developing settings – opportunities and challenges

Background  

All countries need effective disease surveillance systems for early detection of outbreaks. The revised International Health Regulations [IHR], which entered into force for all 194 World Health Organization member states in 2007, have expanded traditional infectious disease notification to include surveillance for public health events of potential international importance, even if the causative agent is not yet known. However, there are no clearly established guidelines for how countries should conduct this surveillance, which types of emerging disease syndromes should be reported, nor any means for enforcement.