scholarly journals A population-based controlled experiment assessing the epidemiological impact of digital contact tracing

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Rodríguez ◽  
◽  
Santiago Graña ◽  
Eva Elisa Alvarez-León ◽  
Manuela Battaglini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Turnaround Time ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Controlled Experiment ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Communication Campaign ◽  
Real Population ◽  
Valuable Complement ◽  
Epidemiological Impact ◽  
Quick Turnaround Time

AbstractWhile Digital contact tracing (DCT) has been argued to be a valuable complement to manual tracing in the containment of COVID-19, no empirical evidence of its effectiveness is available to date. Here, we report the results of a 4-week population-based controlled experiment that took place in La Gomera (Canary Islands, Spain) between June and July 2020, where we assessed the epidemiological impact of the Spanish DCT app Radar Covid. After a substantial communication campaign, we estimate that at least 33% of the population adopted the technology and further showed relatively high adherence and compliance as well as a quick turnaround time. The app detects about 6.3 close-contacts per primary simulated infection, a significant percentage being contacts with strangers, although the spontaneous follow-up rate of these notified cases is low. Overall, these results provide experimental evidence of the potential usefulness of DCT during an epidemic outbreak in a real population.

No relation between biomarkers at age 47–49 and aortic diameter after 14–19 years of follow-up – a population-based study

VASA ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumia Taimour ◽  
Moncef Zarrouk ◽  
Jan Holst ◽  
Olle Melander ◽  
Gunar Engström ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Based ◽  
Aortic Diameter ◽  
Aortic Dilatation ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Abdominal Aortic ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Old Men

Abstract. Background: Biomarkers reflecting diverse pathophysiological pathways may play an important role in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (aortic diameter ≥30 mm, AAA), levels of many biomarkers are elevated and correlated to aortic diameter among 65-year-old men undergoing ultrasound (US) screening for AAA. Probands and methods: To evaluate potential relationships between biomarkers and aortic dilatation after long-term follow-up, levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), proneurotensin (PNT), copeptin (CPT), lipoprotein-associated phospholipase 2 (Lp-PLA2), cystatin C (Cyst C), midregional proatrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP), and midregional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) were measured in 117 subjects (114 [97 %] men) aged 47–49 in a prospective population-based cohort study, and related to aortic diameter at US examination of the aorta after 14–19 years of follow-up. Results: Biomarker levels at baseline did not correlate with aortic diameter after 14–19 years of follow up (CRP [r = 0.153], PNT [r = 0.070], CPT [r = –.156], Lp-PLA2 [r = .024], Cyst C [r = –.015], MR-proANP [r = 0.014], MR-proADM [r = –.117]). Adjusting for age and smoking at baseline in a linear regression model did not reveal any significant correlations. Conclusions: Tested biomarker levels at age 47–49 were not associated with aortic diameter at ultrasound examination after 14–19 years of follow-up. If there are relationships between these biomarkers and aortic dilatation, they are not relevant until closer to AAA diagnosis.

Does Hospitalization Predict the Disease Course in Ulcerative Colitis? Prevalence and Predictors of Hospitalization and Re- Hospitalization in Ulcerative Colitis in a Population-based Inception Cohort (2000-2012)

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra A. Golovics ◽  
Laszlo Lakatos ◽  
Michael D. Mandel ◽  
Barbara D. Lovasz ◽  
Zsuzsanna Vegh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ulcerative Colitis ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Diagnostic Procedures ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Disease Course ◽  
Inception Cohort ◽  
Disease Extent ◽  
Cox Regression Analysis ◽  
Hospitalization Rates

Background & Aims: Limited data are available on the hospitalization rates in population-based studies. Since this is a very important outcome measure, the aim of this study was to analyze prospectively if early hospitalization is associated with the later disease course as well as to determine the prevalence and predictors of hospitalization and re-hospitalization in the population-based ulcerative colitis (UC) inception cohort in the Veszprem province database between 2000 and 2012. Methods: Data of 347 incident UC patients diagnosed between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010 were analyzed (M/F: 200/147, median age at diagnosis: 36, IQR: 26-50 years, follow-up duration: 7, IQR 4-10 years). Both in- and outpatient records were collected and comprehensively reviewed. Results: Probabilities of first UC-related hospitalization were 28.6%, 53.7% and 66.2% and of first re-hospitalization were 23.7%, 55.8% and 74.6% after 1-, 5- and 10- years of follow-up, respectively. Main UC-related causes for first hospitalization were diagnostic procedures (26.7%), disease activity (22.4%) or UC-related surgery (4.8%), but a significant percentage was unrelated to IBD (44.8%). In Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression analysis disease extent at diagnosis (HR extensive: 1.79, p=0.02) or at last follow-up (HR: 1.56, p=0.001), need for steroids (HR: 1.98, p<0.001), azathioprine (HR: 1.55, p=0.038) and anti-TNF (HR: 2.28, p<0.001) were associated with the risk of UC-related hospitalization. Early hospitalization was not associated with a specific disease phenotype or outcome; however, 46.2% of all colectomies were performed in the year of diagnosis. Conclusion: Hospitalization and re-hospitalization rates were relatively high in this population-based UC cohort. Early hospitalization was not predictive for the later disease course.

scholarly journals Association of Tooth Scaling with Acute Myocardial Infarction and Analysis of the Corresponding Medical Expenditure: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7613
Author(s):  
Yi-Wei Kao ◽  
Ben-Chang Shia ◽  
Huei-Chen Chiang ◽  
Mingchih Chen ◽  
Szu-Yuan Wu
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Periodontal Diseases ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Medical Expenditure ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Proportional Hazard ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
Scaling Group

Accumulating evidence has shown a significant correlation between periodontal diseases and systemic diseases. In this study, we investigated the association between the frequency of tooth scaling and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Here, a group of 7164 participants who underwent tooth scaling was compared with another group of 7164 participants without tooth scaling through propensity score matching to assess AMI risk by Cox’s proportional hazard regression. The results show that the hazard ratio of AMI from the tooth scaling group was 0.543 (0.441, 0.670) and the average expenses of AMI in the follow up period was USD 265.76, while the average expenses of AMI in follow up period for control group was USD 292.47. The tooth scaling group was further divided into two subgroups, namely A and B, to check the influence of tooth scaling frequency on AMI risk. We observed that (1) the incidence rate of AMI in the group without any tooth scaling was 3.5%, which is significantly higher than the incidence of 1.9% in the group with tooth scaling; (2) the tooth scaling group had lower total medical expenditures than those of the other group because of the high medical expenditure associated with AMI; and (3) participants who underwent tooth scaling had a lower AMI risk than those who never underwent tooth scaling had. Therefore, the results of this study demonstrate the importance of preventive medicine.

scholarly journals Associations of Dietary Patterns with Incident Depression: The Maastricht Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1034
Author(s):  
Vincenza Gianfredi ◽  
Annemarie Koster ◽  
Anna Odone ◽  
Andrea Amerio ◽  
Carlo Signorelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Healthy Diet ◽  
Patient Health

Our aim was to assess the association between a priori defined dietary patterns and incident depressive symptoms. We used data from The Maastricht Study, a population-based cohort study (n = 2646, mean (SD) age 59.9 (8.0) years, 49.5% women; 15,188 person-years of follow-up). Level of adherence to the Dutch Healthy Diet (DHD), Mediterranean Diet, and Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension (DASH) were derived from a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and annually over seven-year-follow-up (using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire). We used Cox proportional hazards regression analyses to assess the association between dietary patterns and depressive symptoms. One standard deviation (SD) higher adherence in the DHD and DASH was associated with a lower hazard ratio (HR) of depressive symptoms with HRs (95%CI) of 0.78 (0.69–0.89) and 0.87 (0.77–0.98), respectively, after adjustment for sociodemographic and cardiovascular risk factors. After further adjustment for lifestyle factors, the HR per one SD higher DHD was 0.83 (0.73–0.96), whereas adherence to Mediterranean and DASH diets was not associated with incident depressive symptoms. Higher adherence to the DHD lowered risk of incident depressive symptoms. Adherence to healthy diet could be an effective non-pharmacological preventive measure to reduce the incidence of depression.

scholarly journals Lymphoproliferative malignancies in patients with neurofibromatosis 1

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Bergqvist ◽  
François Hemery ◽  
Arnaud Jannic ◽  
Salah Ferkal ◽  
Pierre Wolkenstein
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Medical History ◽  
Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
Incidence Rate ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Neurofibromatosis 1 ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
Non Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
History Of

AbstractNeurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is an inherited, autosomal-dominant, tumor predisposition syndrome with a birth incidence as high as 1:2000. A patient with NF1 is four to five times more likely to develop a malignancy as compared to the general population. The number of epidemiologic studies on lymphoproliferative malignancies in patients with NF1 is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence rate of lymphoproliferative malignancies (lymphoma and leukemia) in NF1 patients followed in our referral center for neurofibromatoses. We used the Informatics for Integrated Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) platform to extract information from the hospital’s electronic health records. We performed a keyword search on clinical notes generated between Jan/01/2014 and May/11/2020 for patients aged 18 years or older. A total of 1507 patients with confirmed NF1 patients aged 18 years and above were identified (mean age 39.2 years; 57% women). The total number of person-years in follow-up was 57,736 (men, 24,327 years; women, 33,409 years). Mean length of follow-up was 38.3 years (median, 36 years). A total of 13 patients had a medical history of either lymphoma or leukemia, yielding an overall incidence rate of 22.5 per 100,000 (0.000225, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.000223–0.000227). This incidence is similar to that of the general population in France (standardized incidence ratio 1.07, 95% CI 0.60–1.79). Four patients had a medical history leukemia and 9 patients had a medical history of lymphoma of which 7 had non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and 2 had Hodgkin lymphoma. Our results show that adults with NF1 do not have an increased tendency to develop lymphoproliferative malignancies, in contrast to the general increased risk of malignancy. While our results are consistent with the recent population-based study in Finland, they are in contrast with the larger population-based study in England whereby NF1 individuals were found to be 3 times more likely to develop both non-Hodgkin lymphoma and lymphocytic leukemia. Large-scale epidemiological studies based on nationwide data sets are thus needed to confirm our findings.

Anorectal Malformations and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer—Is Early Routine Endoscopic Screening Indicated?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Svenningsson ◽  
Anna Gunnarsdottir ◽  
Tomas Wester
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Anorectal Malformations ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Observational Period ◽  
Endoscopic Screening ◽  
Medical Birth Register ◽  
National Patient ◽  
And Gender

Abstract Introduction Colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported in early adulthood in patients with anorectal malformation (ARM), and therefore, the need of endoscopic controls has been discussed. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of CRC in patients with ARM. Materials and Methods This was a nationwide population-based study with data from Swedish national health care registers. All patients diagnosed with ARM born in Sweden between 1964 and 1999 were identified in the National Patient Register. The same group was followed up in the Swedish Cancer Register from birth to December 31, 2014, for occurrences of CRC. Five age- and gender-matched individuals randomly selected from the Medical Birth Register served as controls for each ARM patient born between 1973 and 1999. Results A total of 817 patients (474 males) with ARM were included and followed up from birth to the end of observational period. Time of follow-up ranged from 15 to 50 years (mean: 28 years). None of the patients was diagnosed with CRC during the observational period. One case of rectal cancer and one case of sigmoid cancer were detected among the 3,760 controls. Conclusion In our study, the risk of CRC in early adulthood in patients with ARM is low. Our result does not support routine endoscopic follow-up for patients with ARM during the first decade of life.

scholarly journals Joint association between education and polygenic risk score for incident coronary heart disease events: a longitudinal population-based study of 26 203 men and women

2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-214358
Author(s):  
Pekka Martikainen ◽  
Kaarina Korhonen ◽  
Aline Jelenkovic ◽  
Hannu Lahtinen ◽  
Aki Havulinna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coronary Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Risk Score ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Polygenic Risk Score ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Region Of Residence

BackgroundGenetic vulnerability to coronary heart disease (CHD) is well established, but little is known whether these effects are mediated or modified by equally well-established social determinants of CHD. We estimate the joint associations of the polygenetic risk score (PRS) for CHD and education on CHD events.MethodsThe data are from the 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012 surveys of the population-based FINRISK Study including measures of social, behavioural and metabolic factors and genome-wide genotypes (N=26 203). Follow-up of fatal and non-fatal incident CHD events (N=2063) was based on nationwide registers.ResultsAllowing for age, sex, study year, region of residence, study batch and principal components, those in the highest quartile of PRS for CHD had strongly increased risk of CHD events compared with the lowest quartile (HR=2.26; 95% CI: 1.97 to 2.59); associations were also observed for low education (HR=1.58; 95% CI: 1.32 to 1.89). These effects were largely independent of each other. Adjustment for baseline smoking, alcohol use, body mass index, igh-density lipoprotein (HDL) and total cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes attenuated the PRS associations by 10% and the education associations by 50%. We do not find strong evidence of interactions between PRS and education.ConclusionsPRS and education predict CHD events, and these associations are independent of each other. Both can improve CHD prediction beyond behavioural risks. The results imply that observational studies that do not have information on genetic risk factors for CHD do not provide confounded estimates for the association between education and CHD.

scholarly journals Metformin use and long-term risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a population-based cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e041875
Author(s):  
Mette Nørgaard ◽  
Bianka Darvalics ◽  
Reimar Wernich Thomsen
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Prostatic Hyperplasia ◽  
Haemoglobin A1c ◽  
First Line ◽  
Intention To Treat ◽  
Lowering Drug

ObjectiveTo assess whether metformin use affects risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) by comparing the risk of BPH in men with type 2 diabetes who initiated first-line treatment with either metformin or sulfonylurea monotherapy between 2000 or 2006 in Northern Denmark. In this period, sulfonylurea and metformin were both frequently used as first-line glucose-lowering drug (GLD) treatment.DesignA population-based cohort study.SettingNorthern Denmark.ParticipantsAll men who filled at least two prescriptions for metformin or for sulfonylurea, respectively, during their first 6 months of GLD treatment. Follow-up started 6 months after treatment start.Primary outcome measuresRates of subsequent BPH, identified based on community prescriptions for BPH-related treatment or hospital BPH diagnoses, and rates of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Rates in metformin and sulfonylurea users were compared overall and stratified by 6-month haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) using Cox regression and an intention-to-treat (ITT) approach and an as-treated analysis.ResultsDuring follow-up, less than five persons were lost to follow-up due to emigration. In 3953 metformin initiators with a median follow-up of 10 years, the 10-year cumulative BPH incidence was 25.7% (95% CI 24.2 to 27.1). Compared with 5958 sulfonylurea users (median follow-up 8 years, 10-year cumulative incidence 27.4% (95% CI 26.2 to 28.6)), the crude HR for BPH was 0.83 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.89) and adjusted HR in the ITT analyses was 0.97 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.06). For TURP, the adjusted HR was 0.96 (95% CI 0.63 to 1.46). In the as-treated analysis, adjusted HR for BPH was 0.91 (95% CI 0.81 to 1.02).ConclusionsCompared with sulfonylurea, metformin did not substantially reduce the incidence of BPH in men with diabetes.

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