Work factors facilitating working beyond state pension age: Prospective cohort study with register follow-up

Objectives:The demographic changes in Europe underline the need for an extension of working lives. This study investigates the importance of physical work demands and psychosocial work factors for working beyond the state pension age (65 years).Methods:We combined data from three cohorts of the general working population in Denmark (DWECS 2005 and 2010, and DANES 2008), where actively employed workers aged 55–59 years replied to questionnaires about work environment and were followed until the age of 66 years in the Danish AMRun register of paid employment. Using logistic regression analyses, we calculated prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between physical and psychosocial work factors and working beyond state pension age, adjusted for age, sex, cohort, cohabiting, sector, income, vocational education, working hours, lifestyle, and previous sickness absence.Results:Of the 2884 workers aged 55–59 years, 1023 (35.5%) worked beyond the state pension age. Higher physical work demands was associated with a lower likelihood (PR 0.69, 95% CI 0.58–0.82) and a good psychosocial work environment was associated with higher likelihood (average of 7 items: PR 1.81, 95% CI 1.49–2.20) of working beyond state pension age. Stratified analyses did not change the overall pattern, ie, a good overall psychosocial work environment – as well as several specific psychosocial factors – increased the likelihood of working beyond state pension age, both for those with physically active and seated work.Conclusion:While high physical work demands was a barrier, a good psychosocial work environment seems to facilitate working beyond state pension age, also for those with physically active work.     

A qualitative exploration of barriers to HIV prevention,treatment and support: Perspectives of transgender women and service providers

Transgender (trans) women experience barriers to access to HIV care, which result in their lower engagement in HIV prevention, treatment and support relative to cisgender people living with HIV. Studies of trans women's barriers to HIV care have predominantly focused on perspectives of trans women, while barriers are most often described at provider, organisation and/or systems levels. Comparing perspectives of trans women and service providers may promote a shared vision for achieving health equity. Thus, this qualitative study utilised focus groups and semi-structured interviews conducted 2018–2019 to understand barriers and facilitators to HIV care from the perspectives of trans women (n = 26) and service providers (n = 10). Barriers endorsed by both groups included: (a) anticipated and enacted stigma and discrimination in the provision of direct care, (b) lack of provider knowledge of HIV care needs for trans women, (c) absence of trans-specific services/organisations and (d) cisnormativity in sexual healthcare. Facilitators included: (a) provision of trans-positive trauma-informed care, (b) autonomy and choice for trans women in selecting sexual health services and (c) models for trans-affirming systems change. Each theme had significant overlap, yet nuanced perspective, between trans women and service providers. Specific recommendations to improve HIV care access for trans women are discussed. These recommendations can be used by administrators and service providers alike to work collaboratively with trans women to reduce barriers and facilitators to HIV care and ultimately to achieve health equity for trans women.     

Monkeypox outbreak 2022: What we know so far and its potential drug targets and management strategies

Monkeypox is a rare zoonotic disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. The disease can result in flu-like symptoms, fever, and a persistent rash. The disease is currently spreading throughout the world and prevention and treatment efforts are being intensified. Although there is no treatment that has been specifically approved for monkeypox virus infection, infected patients may benefit from using certain antiviral medications that are typically prescribed for the treatment of smallpox. The drugs are tecovirimat, brincidofovir, and cidofovir, all of which are currently in short supply due to the spread of the monkeypox virus. Resistance is also a concern, as widespread replication of the monkeypox virus can lead to mutations that produce monkeypox viruses that are resistant to the currently available treatments. This article discusses monkeypox disease, potential drug targets, and management strategies to overcome monkeypox disease. With the discovery of new drugs, it is hoped that the problem of insufficient drugs will be resolved, and it is not anticipated that drug resistance will become a major issue in the near future.     

A Systematic Overview of Radiation Therapy Effects in Cervical Cancer (Cervix Uteri)

A systematic review of radiation therapy trials in several tumour types was performed by The Swedish Council of Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU). The procedures for evaluation of the scientific literature are described separately (Acta Oncol 2003; 42: 357-365). This synthesis of the literature on radiation therapy for cervical cancer is based on data from 1 meta-analysis and 34 randomized trials. In total, 35 scientific articles are included, involving 7 952 patients. The results were compared with those of a similar overview from 1996 including 34 024 patients. The conclusions reached can be summarized in these points: There are limited scientific data supporting that postoperative pelvic radiotherapy improves disease-free survival in early cervical cancer. No firm conclusion can be drawn.There is moderate scientific evidence that external beam radiotherapy combined with brachytherapy gives a similar disease-free and overall survival rate as radical hysterectomy in early cervical cancer.There is strong scientific evidence that concomitant radiochemotherapy improves disease-free and overall survival compared to radiotherapy alone in early cervical cancer.The NCI has recently published an announcement stating that cisplantin-based chemotherapy should be used concomitantly with radiotherapy in cervical cancer. No solid documentation for this statement can be found concerning locally advanced stages (>IIB).There is a strong scientific evidence that cisplatin-based chemotherapy given concomitantly with radiotherapy is superior to concomitant chemotherapy with hydroxyurea.There is no scientific evidence to show that neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy improves disease-free or overall survival compared to radiotherapy alone in patients with localized cervical cancer.There is moderate scientific evidence that high-dose-rate brachytherapy gives the same local control rate as low-dose-rate brachytherapy but with fewer rectal complications.     

Induction of CYP1A in the beagle dog by an inhibitor of kinase insert domain-containing receptor: differential effects in vitro and in vivo on mRNA and functional activity.

Compound I [3-[5-(4-methanesulfonyl-piperazin-1-ylmethyl)-1H-indol-2-yl]-1H-quinolin-2-one] is a potent inhibitor of human kinase insert domain-containing receptor (KDR kinase), which is under investigation for the treatment of cancer. Bile duct-cannulated male beagle dogs were administered 6 mg/kg compound I q.d. for 14 days. There was an approximately 2.5-fold decrease in the mean plasma area under the curve of I on days 7 and 14 (approximately 11.3 microM . h), relative to day 1 (28.2 microM . h). In the dog, compound I was eliminated by metabolism, with a major pathway being aromatic hydroxylation and subsequent sulfation to form the metabolite M3. Metabolic profiling suggested that the pathway leading to the formation of the sulfated conjugate M3 was induced upon multiple dosing of I. Studies conducted in vitro suggested that CYP1A1/2 was responsible for the formation of the hydroxylated metabolite, which is sulfated to yield M3. Additional studies confirmed induction of CYP1A protein and activity in the livers of dogs treated with I. However, studies in a dog hepatocyte model of induction showed a surprising decrease both in CYP1A mRNA and enzymatic activity in the presence of I, emphasizing the need to consider the results from a variety of in vitro and in vivo studies in deriving an understanding of the metabolic fate of a drug candidate. It is concluded that the autoinduction observed after multiple treatments with compound I occurs since compound I is both an inducer and a substrate for dog CYP1A.     

GENDER AND AGE DIFFERENCES IN ANEMIA PREVALENCE DURING THE LIFECYCLE IN KUWAIT

Anemia remains a significant worldwide public health problem. Most studies of anemia and iron deficiency, the major cause of anemia, have targeted small children and reproductive age women. Much less is known about anemia in other lifecycle groups, especially preschool age children, prepubertal boys and girls, or in older adults. Yet recent studies indicate that anemia may increase the risk for chronic diseases and accelerate declining function in older adults. We examined anemia throughout the lifecycle in Kuwait by analyzing data from the 2002 Kuwait Nutrition Surveillance Program. Over 13,000 individuals of both sexes representing all ages were studied. The prevalence of anemia was higher in females than males between 6 months and 3 years. From age 4 to 14 years, there was a reversal with males having a higher rate of anemia. Older females had a lower prevalence of anemia than younger females. These results imply certain policy options.     

Functional and anatomical evaluation of the effect of nepafenac in prevention of macular edema after phacoemulsification in diabetic patients

AIM: To evaluate the effect of prophylactic administration of nepafenac in prevention of macular edema occurring in diabetic patients after phacoemulsification and to investigate the correlation between optical coherence tomography (OCT) foveal thickness and multifocal electroretinogram (MF-ERG) parameters. METHODS: The study included two groups. Group 1 included 50 diabetic patients with senile cataract (50 eyes, 30 females, 20 males, aged 55±7y) received nepafenac 0.1% eye drop. Group 2 included another 50 diabetic patients with senile cataract (50 eyes, 22 female, 28 males, aged 53.8±8y) did not receive nepafenac. All patients were followed up for 3mo postoperatively. OCT and MF-ERG were done preoperative and at 1wk, 1, 2 and 3mo. RESULTS: The mean foveal thickness was statistically significantly lower in Group 1. Five eyes in Group 2 developed clinical cystoid macular oedema (CMO) (10%), and no patients in Group 1 developed central macular thickening more than 50 μm. There were insignificant differences in MF-ERG amplitudes and latencies between the two groups except in the five eyes that developed CMO, there statistically significant reduction of MF-ERG amplitude with increase in foveal thickness. CONCLUSION: Perioperative nepafenac reduces the incidence of CMO following uncomplicated phacoemulsification significantly. Nepafenac has no side effects.     

Association of C46T genetic polymorphism of coagulation factor XII with deep venous thrombosis: a cohort study on Egyptian patients

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common multi-factorial disease, with serious short- and long-term complications, and a potential fatal outcome. Many genes are involved in determining the interindividual variation in traits that define the onset and progression of disease, as well as the response to treatment. Several association studies have designed the relationship between factor XII C46T polymorphism and the risk of arterial and venous thrombosis. Some studies reported that FXII gene polymorphism is not associated with venous thrombosis, whereas other studies found an increased risk of venous thrombosis in carriers of a FXII-T variant. We constructed an age–gender–ethnic–matched case–control study including 52 DVT patients and 100 healthy volunteers. C46T polymorphism of the coagulation factor XII was carried out using allelic discrimination assay by real-time polymerase chain reaction for patients and controls, while plasma factor XII activity was detected by one-step clotting assay. FXII C46T genotyping in DVT patients revealed that 34.6% were heterozygous harboring the FXII-CT heterotype and 3.85% were homozygous; FXII-TT homotype, with no statistically significant difference in the distribution of the mutant genotypes between DVT patients and the control group. FXII activity was significantly reduced in DVT patients harboring the mutant genotypes. In the present study, FXII C46T gene polymorphism was not associated with increased risk of deep venous thrombosis.