scholarly journals What would an ‘ideal’ glaucoma examination be like? - A conjoint analysis of patients’ and physicians’ preferences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Muth ◽  
Aljoscha S. Neubauer ◽  
Annemarie Klingenstein ◽  
Ulrich Schaller ◽  
Siegfried G. Priglinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Conjoint Analysis ◽  
Glaucoma Patient ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Examination Method ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Improve Patient

Abstract Purpose To structurally determine patients’ and physicians’ preferences for glaucoma diagnostic methods in order to improve glaucoma patient care and improve patient compliance with follow-up visits. Methods Forty-one patients with glaucoma and 32 ophthalmologists were included in this cross-sectional study. Profiles representing glaucoma examinations were created using conjoint analysis (CA). The following factors of a glaucoma examination method were evaluated: (1) examination comfort, (2) examination frequency, (3) follow-up examination necessary in case of suspicious result, (4) cost for the patient, (5) travel time to examination site, (6) sensitivity and (7) specificity of the examination method. Results Preferences were highest in both groups for examination sensitivity, followed by cost and specificity for the patient group. For the physician group, specificity was second most important, followed by cost. Least important was travel time for the patients and follow-up examinations for the physicians. Conclusions Participants would rather pay more and travel longer to get a highly sensitive examination. This form of care is present in university eye hospitals. Consequently, it would be advisable to enhance capacities of these centers. Outpatient practices that offer glaucoma service should be fully equipped and should employ a glaucoma specialist.

Hearing Outcome of Stapes Surgery in NIENT, Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-36
Author(s):  
Md Zakaria Sarkar ◽  
AHM Ferdows Nur ◽  
Utpal Kumar Dutta ◽  
Muhammad Rafiqul Islam ◽  
Debabrota Roy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Surgical Trauma ◽  
Group 14 ◽  
Progressive Hearing Loss ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hearing Gain ◽  
Hearing Outcome

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate hearing outcome after stapedotomy in patients with Otosclerosis. Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out from July 2017 to January 2019 in National Institute of ENT, Unit V. About 22 patients with Otosclerosis were included in this study. Diagnosis of Otosclerosis was based on the history, medical status with Otoscopy, Tuning fork tests and Audiometric tests. We compiled data on the pre and post operative air-bone gap (ABG) at 0.5, 1, 2 KHZ. The ABG was Calculated using AC and BC thresholds on the same audiogram. Post operative hearing gain was then Calculated from the ABG before the operation minus the ABG of the last follow up examination Results: In this study most of the cases were age group 14-30 years (72.7%), female (54.5%). Most common symptoms was progressive hearing loss, tinnitus (77.8%).The average preoperative hearing loss in this study was (AC) was 48.31±7.68. The average post opt. hearing (AC) at follow up was 28.95±10.30 with an average hearing gain of 15.40±8.53 dB which was significant. The average pre-operative ABG was 28.99 dB ± 8.10. The average post opt. ABG was analyzed at 1 follow up showed ABG 13.18±8.09 dB which was found to be significant. Conclusion: Stapedotomy is an effective surgical procedure for the treatment of otosclerosis which leads to improvement in patient’s quality of life. A favorable hearing outcome can be obtained by the combination of experienced hands with minimal surgical trauma and appropriate surgical technique. Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol; April 2020; 26(1): 31-36

EFFICACY OF TREATMENT OF H.PYLORI EARDICATION WITH STANDARD TRIPLE THERAPY IN PEPTIC ULCER PATIENTS

2011 ◽  
pp. 122-129
Author(s):  
Quang Di Bui ◽  
Phuoc Lam Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Peptic Ulcer ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Triple Therapy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Duodenal Ulcers ◽  
Ulcer Disease ◽  
Intention To Treat ◽  
Standard Triple Therapy

Objectives: The aim of study is to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability and adverse effects of a standard triple therapy including Rabeprazole, Clarithromycin and Amoxicilline at Sai gon Hoan My hospital in order to consider treatment H.pylori for patients who have not yet eradicated before or need to be undertaked by alternative regimens. Methods: By descriptive cross-sectional study, the authors have examined 116 patients sufferring from peptic ulcer received 10-day therapy including Rabe (20mg b.d) plus Clari(500mg b.d) plus Amoxi(1g b.d). Eradication is confirmed with endoscopy after 4 weeks from completing of treatment. Results and Discussion: 100% of patients were initially included and noboby was dropped out of the follow-up satges. The mean age was 49 in which 62% was male, 73(62,9%) presented duodenal ulcer, 28(24,1%) gastric ulcer and 15(13%) simultaneous gastric and duodenal ulcers. All patients took medications correctly. Per-protocol and intention to treat eradication rates were both 75%(95% CI=73,4-78,3). Additionally, 62(53,4%) patients had at least one risky factor for peptic ulcer disease, smoking being the most common one 44(37,9%).The adverse effects were reported overall in 67% of the patients, mainly including changed taste, very bitter, tired 49%, trouble sleeping 12% and diarrhea 5%. Conclusion: this ten-day standard triple therapy used in this study is ineffective with high adverse effects.The first line eradication with new regimens should be alternative.

scholarly journals Predictors of loss to follow-up in art experienced patients in Nigeria: a 13 year review (2004–2017)

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Aliyu ◽  
Babatunde Adelekan ◽  
Nifarta Andrew ◽  
Eunice Ekong ◽  
Stephen Dapiap ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Adherence ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Emergency Plan ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Loss To Follow Up ◽  
Viral Loads ◽  
Review Period ◽  
Lost To Follow Up ◽  
Differentiated Care

Abstract Background Expanded access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) leads to improved HIV/AIDS treatment outcomes in Nigeria, however, increasing rates of loss to follow-up among those on ART is threatening optimal standard achievement. Therefore, this retrospective cross-sectional study is aimed at identifying correlates and predictors of loss to follow-up in patients commencing ART in a large HIV program in Nigeria. Methods Records of all patients from 432 US CDC Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) supported facilities across 10 States and FCT who started ART from 2004 to 2017 were used for this study. Bivariate and multivariate analysis of the demographic and clinical parameters of all patients was conducted using STATA version 14 to determine correlates and predictors of loss to follow-up. Results Within the review period, 245,257 patients were ever enrolled on anti-retroviral therapy. 150,191 (61.2%) remained on treatment, 10,960 (4.5%) were transferred out to other facilities, 6926 (2.8%) died, 2139 (0.9%) self-terminated treatment and 75,041 (30.6%) had a loss to follow-up event captured. Males (OR: 1.16), Non-pregnant female (OR: 4.55), Patients on ≥ 3-monthly ARV refills (OR: 1.32), Patients with un-suppressed viral loads on ART (OR: 4.52), patients on adult 2nd line regimen (OR: 1.23) or pediatric on 1st line regimen (OR: 1.70) were significantly more likely to be lost to follow-up. Conclusion Despite increasing access to anti-retroviral therapy, loss to follow-up is still a challenge in the HIV program in Nigeria. Differentiated care approaches that will focus on males, non-pregnant females and paediatrics is encouraged. Reducing months of Anti-retroviral drug refill to less than 3 months is advocated for increased patient adherence.

scholarly journals The causes of infertility in women presenting to gynaecology clinics in Harare, Zimbabwe; a cross sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mugove G. Madziyire ◽  
Thulani L. Magwali ◽  
Vasco Chikwasha ◽  
Tinovimba Mhlanga
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Reproduction ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Male Factor ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Unprotected Sexual Intercourse ◽  
Assisted Reproduction Techniques ◽  
Public Facilities ◽  
Tubal Blockage ◽  
Private And Public

Abstract Background Infertility affects 48.5 million couples globally. It is defined clinically as failure to conceive after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. The contribution of various aetiological factors to infertility differs per population. The causes of infertility have not been assessed in Zimbabwe. Our objectives were to determine the reproductive characteristics, causes and outcomes of women presenting for infertility care. Methods A retrospective and prospective study of women who had not conceived within a year of having unprotected intercourse presenting in private and public facilities in Harare was done. A diagnosis was made based on the history, examination and results whenever these were deemed sufficient. Data was analysed using STATA SE/15. A total of 216 women were recruited. Results Of the 216 women recruited, two thirds (144) of them had primary infertility. The overall period of infertility ranged from 1 to 21 years with an average of 5.6 ± 4.7 years whilst 98 (45.4%) of the couples had experienced 2–4 years of infertility and 94 (43.5%) had experience 5 or more years of infertility. About 1 in 5 of the women had irregular menstrual cycles with 10 of them having experienced amenorrhoea of at least 1 year. Almost half of the participants (49%) were overweight or obese. The most common cause for infertility was ‘unexplained’ in 22% of the women followed by tubal blockage in 20%, male factor in 19% and anovulation in 16%. Of the 49 (22.7%) women who conceived 21(9.7%) had a live birth while 23 (10.7%) had an ongoing pregnancy at the end of follow up. Thirty-seven (17.1%) had Assisted Reproduction Techniques (ART) in the form of Invitro-fertilisation/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (IVF/ICSI) or Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI). Assisted Reproduction was significantly associated with conception. Conclusion Most women present when chances of natural spontaneous conception are considerably reduced. This study shows an almost equal contribution between tubal blockage, male factor and unexplained infertility. Almost half of the causes are female factors constituted by tubal blockage, anovulation and a mixture of the two. Improved access to ART will result in improved pregnancy rates. Programs should target comprehensive assessment of both partners and offer ART.

scholarly journals Vitamin D and Hospital Admission in Older Adults: A Prospective Association

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 616
Author(s):  
Avril Beirne ◽  
Kevin McCarroll ◽  
James Bernard Walsh ◽  
Miriam Casey ◽  
Eamon Laird ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Prospective Association ◽  
Randomised Controlled

The health effects of vitamin D are well documented, with increasing evidence of its roles beyond bone. There is, however, little evidence of the effects of vitamin D on hospitalisation among older adults. This study aimed to prospectively determine the relationship of vitamin D status in older adults with hospital admission and emergency department (ED) attendance. Trinity University of Ulster Department of Agriculture (TUDA) is a large cross-sectional study of older adults with a community population from three disease-defined cohorts (cognitive dysfunction, hypertension, and osteoporosis). Participants included in this analysis were recruited between 2008 and 2012. ED and hospital admission data were gathered from the date of TUDA participation until June 2013, with a mean follow up of 3.6 years. Of the 3093 participants, 1577 (50.9%) attended the ED during the period of follow-up. Attendees had lower mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations than non-attendees (59.1 vs. 70.6 nmol/L). Fully adjusted models showed an inverse association between vitamin D and ED attendance (Hazard Ratio (HR) 0.996; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.995–0.998; p < 0.001). A total of 1269 participants (41%) were admitted to hospital during the follow-up. Those admitted had lower mean vitamin D concentrations (58.4 vs. 69.3 nmol/L, p < 0.001). In fully adjusted models, higher vitamin D was inversely associated with hospital admission (HR 0.996; 95% CI 0.994–0.998; p < 0.001) and length of stay (LOS) (β = −0.95, p = 0.006). This study showed independent prospective associations between vitamin D deficiency and increased hospitalisation by older adults. The need for further evaluation of current recommendations in relation to vitamin D supplementation, with consideration beyond bone health, is warranted and should focus on randomised controlled trials.

scholarly journals Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: longitudinal analysis of predictors for postural control

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Müller ◽  
Charlotte Kreutz ◽  
Steffen Ringhof ◽  
Maximilian Koeppel ◽  
Nikolaus Kleindienst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peripheral Neuropathy ◽  
Peripheral Nerve ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Exercise Intervention ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Nerve Function ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Peripheral Nerve Function

AbstractImpaired postural control is often observed in response to neurotoxic chemotherapy. However, potential explanatory factors other than chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) have not been adequately considered to date due to primarily cross-sectional study designs. Our objective was to comprehensively analyze postural control during and after neurotoxic chemotherapy, and to identify potential CIPN-independent predictors for its impairment. Postural control and CIPN symptoms (EORTC QLQ-CIPN20) were longitudinally assessed before, during and three weeks after neurotoxic chemotherapy, and in three and six months follow-up examinations (N = 54). The influence of peripheral nerve function as determined by nerve conduction studies (NCS: compound motor action potentials (CMAP) and sensory action potentials (SNAP)), physical activity, and muscle strength on the change in postural control during and after chemotherapy was analyzed by multiple linear regression adjusted for age and body mass index. Postural control, CIPN signs/symptoms, and CMAP/SNAP amplitudes significantly deteriorated during chemotherapy (p < .01). During follow-up, patients recovered from postural instabilities (p < .01), whereas CIPN signs/symptoms and pathologic NCS findings persisted compared to baseline (p < .001). The regression model showed that low CMAP and high SNAP amplitudes at baseline predicted impairment of postural control during but not after chemotherapy. Hence, pre-therapeutically disturbed somatosensory inputs may induce adaptive processes that have compensatory effects and allow recovery of postural control while CIPN signs/symptoms and pathologic peripheral nerve function persist. Baseline NCS findings in cancer patients who receive neurotoxic chemotherapy thus might assist in delineating individual CIPN risk profiles more precisely to which specific exercise intervention programs could be tailor-made.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibodies Seroprevalence and Sera Neutralizing Activity in MEXICO: A National Cross-Sectional Study during 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 850
Author(s):  
José Esteban Muñoz-Medina ◽  
Concepción Grajales-Muñiz ◽  
Angel Gustavo Salas-Lais ◽  
Larissa Fernandes-Matano ◽  
Constantino López-Macías ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Molecular Diagnostic ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Neutralizing Activity

Until recently, the incidence of COVID-19 was primarily estimated using molecular diagnostic methods. However, the number of cases is vastly underreported using these methods. Seroprevalence studies estimate cumulative infection incidences and allow monitoring of transmission dynamics, and the presence of neutralizing antibodies in the population. In February 2020, the Mexican Social Security Institute began conducting anonymous unrelated sampling of residual sera from specimens across the country, excluding patients with fever within the previous two weeks and/or patients with an acute respiratory infection. Sampling was carried out weekly and began 17 days before Mexico’s first officially confirmed case. The 24,273 sera obtained were analyzed by chemiluminescent-linked immunosorbent assay (CLIA) IgG S1/S2 and, later, positive cases using this technique were also analyzed to determine the rate of neutralization using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We identified 40 CLIA IgG positive cases before the first official report of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Mexico. The national seroprevalence was 3.5% in February and 33.5% in December. Neutralizing activity among IgG positives patients during overall study period was 86.1%. The extent of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in Mexico is 21 times higher than that reported by molecular techniques. Although the general population is still far from achieving herd immunity, epidemiological indicators should be re-estimated based on serological studies of this type.

scholarly journals Communicative health literacy in patients with non-communicable diseases in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Desalew Tilahun ◽  
Abebe Abera ◽  
Gugsa Nemera
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Source Population ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Health Literacy Level ◽  
Literacy Level

Abstract Background Health literacy plays a prominent role in empowering individuals for prevention as well as management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, there is paucity of information on the health literacy of patients with non-communicable diseases in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess communicative health literacy and associated factors in patients with NCDs on follow-up at Jimma Medical Center (JMC), Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from 4 May 2020 to 4 July 2020 with 408 randomly selected adult patients, attending outpatient department of JMC in Ethiopia. The final sample size was obtained by using single population proportion formula. All patients with NCDs who were on follow-up at chronic illness clinic, JMC, were used as a source population. All eligible patients with NCDs who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in this study. A simple random sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. Data were collected through structured interviewer administered questionnaires on the six of nine health literacy domains using Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) containing 30 items, socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, disease-related factors, and health information sources. Multivariable logistic regression was executed to determine the associations. Result Descriptive analysis shows more than half of the respondents in four of the six health literacy domains had high communicative health literacy level (CHLL). The proportion of people with high CHLL across each of the domains was as follows: health care provider support (56.1%), social support for health (53.7%), active engagement with a healthcare provider (56.1%), and navigating healthcare system (53.4%). We found educational status was significantly associated with five of six health literacy domains whereas number of sources was associated with four of six health literacy domains. Conclusion The overall findings of the current study indicate that health literacy levels vary according to socio-demographic and disease characteristics of patients. Thus, healthcare professionals should assess patients’ health literacy level and tailor information and support to the health literacy skills and personal context of their patients.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document