Gender differences in randomised,controlled trials in intensive care units

There is a male dominance among patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Potentially, this will increase the risk of a skewed male/female distribution in randomised, controlled trials (RCTs). We have evaluated if this has in fact happened when randomising and whether the authors have been aware of that. We performed a systematic search on PubMed from 1 January 2011 to 31 May 2012 using the mesh terms ‘randomized controlled trial’ and ‘intensive care unit’. Twenty‐five RCTs with a total of 12,788 patients met the inclusion criteria, with an overall male dominance of 63.6% (P < 0.0001). Eighteen of the 25 papers had an individually statistically significant gender difference in their total trial population. None of the 18 trials with a significant gender difference in their overall trial population had calculated the P‐value for this overall difference. In the randomised groups, there was a significant gender difference in five papers. Seventeen had no significant gender difference in the randomised groups, and three papers did not state gender in the randomised groups. This study show that there is a marked male dominance in RCTs conducted in ICUs. We recommend that when planning future RCTs, the authors contemplate if their results can be used indiscriminately among ICU patients if the distribution of males and females is much skewed. It is relevant to determine if ones endpoint can be influenced by gender differences and if there is a risk of gender influence on data, proportional allocation or stratification should be considered.     

Impact of Several Worry Factors on Responsible Behavior : The Case of the 1999 Earthquake in Turkey

Fifteen thousand people died in the August 1999 Earthquake in Turkey, and almost all segments of society were caught unprepared. In order to lessen the problems experienced after future earthquakes, this research investigates factors that influence society's awareness of and preparedness for disasters and aims at developing policies on the basis of investigating the relationship between worries and the variables of locus of control, verbal commitment, and responsible behavior. This research is based on a survey conducted a year after the earthquake using a representative sample size of 500 survivors living in temporary prefabricated houses. One of the basic findings of this research is that education is the most important independent variable influenc-     

Genes associated with venous thromboembolism in colorectal cancer patients

Essentials

• The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms behind cancer‐associated thrombosis are unknown.
• We compared expression profiles in tumor cells from patients with and without thrombosis.
• Tumors from patients with thrombosis showed significant differential gene expression profiles.
• Patients with thrombosis had a proinflammatory status and increased fibrin levels in the tumor.

Summary

Background

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent complication in patients with cancer, and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. However, the mechanisms behind cancer‐associated thrombosis are still incompletely understood.

Objectives

To identify novel genes that are associated with VTE in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods

Twelve CRC patients with VTE were age‐matched and sex‐matched to 12 CRC patients without VTE. Tumor cells were isolated from surgical samples with laser capture microdissection approaches, and mRNA profiles were measured with next‐generation RNA sequencing.

Results

This approach led to the identification of new genes and pathways that might contribute to VTE in CRC patients. Application of ingenuity pathway analysis indicated significant links with inflammation, the methionine degradation pathway, and increased platelet function, which are all key processes in thrombus formation. Tumor samples of patients with VTE had a proinflammatory status and contained higher levels of fibrin and fibrin degradation products than samples of those without VTE.

Conclusion

This case–control study provides a proof‐of‐principle that tumor gene expression can discriminate between cancer patients with low and high risks of VTE. These findings may help to further unravel the pathogenesis of cancer‐related VTE. The identified genes could potentially be used as candidate biomarkers to select high‐risk CRC patients for thromboprophylaxis.

     

Compliance With Dyslipidemia Guidelines in Daily Practice: How Effective Is Cardiovascular Risk Prevention?

Purpose

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to atherosclerosis is the leading cause of early mortality and morbidity. The current European guidelines on CVD prevention in clinical practice recommend the use of the Systematic Coronary Risk Estimation (SCORE) system. The current American Heart Association guidelines recommend the use of the new pooled cohort risk assessment equations to estimate the 10-year atherosclerotic CVD risk. The purpose of this article was to investigate the compliance of dyslipidemia guidelines in daily practice in patients with dyslipidemia or who have risk factors for CVD.

2011—2020年安徽省钉螺分布时空分析

目的　分析2011—2020年安徽省钉螺分布时空特征,为全省钉螺精准防控提供参考。方法　收集2011—2020年安徽省实有钉螺面积、新发钉螺面积和感染性钉螺面积等钉螺分布指标并进行描述性分析,对实有和新发钉螺面积进行空间自相关、热点分析、标准差椭圆分析及时空扫描等分析,探索安徽省钉螺聚集与扩散高风险区。结果　2011—2020年,安徽省实有钉螺面积逐渐降低。2020年全省实有钉螺面积26 238.85 hm2,主要分布在湖沼型血吸虫病流行区。各年份间新发钉螺面积波动较大,2016年最高（1 287.65 hm2）;2020年在池州市贵池区新发现1.96 hm2感染性钉螺面积。空间自相关和热点分析显示,2011—2020年安徽省实有钉螺面积分布具有空间聚集性（Z = 3.00 ~ 3.43,P均 < 0.01）,热点主要集中在湖沼型流行区并沿长江南岸分布;冷点主要集中在皖南山区。2011—2020年安徽省新发钉螺面积分布在整体上不存在空间聚集性（Z = -2.20 ~ 1.71,P均> 0.05）,局部呈散点分布。标准差椭圆分析显示,2011—2020年安徽省实有钉螺面积分布相对稳定,与长江流向一致;新发钉螺面积分布重心逐渐从长江安徽段下游向上游移动。时空扫描分析显示,2011—2020年安徽省实有钉螺面积两个高值聚集区以从长江安徽段下游到中游的顺序出现;新发钉螺面积两个高值聚集区聚集时间和范围类似,均分布在山区。结论　2011—2020年安徽省钉螺分布呈空间聚集性,存在向长江南岸、上游聚集的趋势,但山区钉螺扩散问题亦不容忽视,需加强对山区和长江沿岸新发钉螺孳生地的监测力度。