Prevalence and outcomes of atrial fibrillation in a European healthcare area gained through the processing of a health information technology system

Introduction

Today's healthcare policies rely heavily on data that has been gathered from multiple small studies in intrinsically varied populations. We sought to describe the prevalence, comorbidities and outcomes of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the population of a specific region where all healthcare centers have implemented a common information technology (IT) structure.

Health Care Utilization After Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study

Background

Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) can reduce the burden of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) but its effect on health care utilization and costs after such therapy is poorly known. We sought to compare the rates of cardiovascular (CV)-related hospitalizations, survival, and health care costs in patients with recurrent VT treated either with VT ablation or with medical therapy.

Reversión de sobrepeso y obesidad en población infantil de Vilafranca del Penedès: Programa ACTIVA’T (2012)

Objective

To assess a 6-month nutritional and physical activity intervention program on the nutritional status of overweight or obese and not very active 8-14 years old children by means of a controlled pre-post design (ACTIVA’T program).

Comprehensive Validation Study of Quality-of-Life Questionnaire Using Objective Clinical Measures: Breast Cancer Treatment Outcome Scale (BCTOS), Brazilian Portuguese Version

Introduction

When evaluating a quality-of-life questionnaire (QLQ), many validation studies do not correlate quality-of-life scores with objective measurements of complications associated with treatment.

Chromosome 1q21 abnormalities in multiple myeloma

Gain of chromosome 1q (+1q) is one of the most common recurrent cytogenetic abnormalities in multiple myeloma (MM), occurring in approximately 40% of newly diagnosed cases. Although it is often considered a poor prognostic marker in MM, +1q has not been uniformly adopted as a high-risk cytogenetic abnormality in guidelines. Controversy exists regarding the importance of copy number, as well as whether +1q is itself a driver of poor outcomes or merely a common passenger genetic abnormality in biologically unstable disease. Although the identification of a clear pathogenic mechanism from +1q remains elusive, many genes at the 1q21 locus have been proposed to cause early progression and resistance to anti-myeloma therapy. The plethora of potential drivers suggests that +1q is not only a causative factor or poor outcomes in MM but may be targetable and/or predictive of response to novel therapies. This review will summarize our current understanding of the pathogenesis of +1q in plasma cell neoplasms, the impact of 1q copy number, identify potential genetic drivers of poor outcomes within this subset, and attempt to clarify its clinical significance and implications for the management of patients with multiple myeloma.Subject terms: Cancer genomics, Myeloma, Myeloma     

Long-term Implications of Tracheostomy in Cardiac Surgery Patients: Decannulation and Mortality

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Psychosocial mechanisms of a behavioral treatment for urinary incontinence of prostate cancer survivors

Abstract

Purpose: We examined underlying psychosocial processes of a behavioral treatment for urinary incontinence (UI) of prostate cancer survivors.

Design: Secondary analysis of data collected from a clinical trial.

Sample: Two hundred forty-four prostate cancer survivors who participated in a clinical trial of behavioral intervention to UI as intervention or control subjects.

Methods: The participants had a 3-month behavioral intervention or usual care and were followed up for an additional 3?months. They were assessed at baseline, 3, and 6?months. Latent growth curve models were performed to examine trajectories of each study variable and relationships among the variables.

Findings: Increasing self-efficacy and social support were significantly and independently associated with more reduction of urinary leakage frequency over time.

Implications for psychosocial oncology: Providing problem-solving skills and social support, including peer support, are essential for empowering patients to reduce UI.     

Ultrabiomicroscopic Findings in Acute Uveitic,Convalescent and Chronic Recurrent Stage of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Syndrome

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To describe the ultrabiomicroscopy (UBM) characteristics in patients with uveitic, convalescent, and recurrent Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease.     

The FINDRISC questionnaire capacity to predict diabetes mellitus II,arterial hypertension and comorbidity in women from low-and-middle-income countries

Abstract

The Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) has been implemented to assess diabetes risk. The authors aimed in this study to determine the prediction capacity of FINDRISC for the early detection of cardiovascular diseases in women. A prevalence study was carried out on 441 women of Pueblo Libre (Peru). Anthropometric variables, blood pressure, blood glucose and comorbidity were measured and entered in FINDRISC. 4.8% of the studied women suffered from DM2, 14.3% from AHT, 33% obesity and 8.6% comorbidity. We found that FINDRISC was the best method to discriminate DM, AHT and comorbidity. FINDRISC is an effective non-invasive tool for women from low-and-middle-income countries.