scholarly journals Dietary fruits and arthritis

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpita Basu ◽  
Jace Schell ◽  
R. Hal Scofield

Arthritis is a global health concern affecting a significant proportion of the population and associated with reduced quality of life.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Jannika Dodge-Khatami ◽  
Ali Dodge-Khatami

Abstract Objectives: The mini right axillary thoracotomy is an alternative surgical approach to repair certain congenital heart defects. Quality-of-life metrics and clinical outcomes in children undergoing either the right axillary approach or median sternotomy were compared. Methods: Patients undergoing either approach for the same defects between 2018 and 2020 were included. Demographic details, operative data, and outcomes were compared between both groups. An abbreviated quality of life questionnaire based on the Infant/Toddler/Child Health Questionnaires focused on the patient’s global health, physical activity, and pain/discomfort was administered to all parents/guardians within two post-operative years. Results: Eighty-seven infants and children underwent surgical repair (right axillary thoracotomy, n = 54; sternotomy, n = 33) during the study period. There were no mortalities in either group. The right axillary thoracotomy group experienced significantly decreased red blood cell transfusion, intubation, intensive care, and hospital durations, and earlier chest tube removal. Up to 1 month, parents’ perception of their child’s degree and frequency of post-operative pain was significantly less after the right axillary thoracotomy approach. No difference was found in the patient’s global health or physical activity limitations beyond a month between the two groups. Conclusions: With the mini right axillary approach, surrogates of faster clinical recovery and hospital discharge were noted, with a significantly less perceived degree and frequency of post-operative pain initially, but without the quality of life differences at last follow-up. While providing obvious cosmetic advantages, the minimally invasive right axillary thoracotomy approach for the surgical repair of certain congenital heart lesions is a safe alternative to median sternotomy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 175628482199358
Author(s):  
Nikita Hanning ◽  
Adam L. Edwinson ◽  
Hannah Ceuleers ◽  
Stephanie A. Peters ◽  
Joris G. De Man ◽  
...  

Background and Aim: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a complex and heterogeneous disorder. Sensory, motor and barrier dysfunctions are the key physiological endophenotypes of IBS. Our aim is to review studies evaluating barrier dysfunction in adults and children with IBS, as well as to link those changes with IBS symptomatology and quality of life. Methods: A comprehensive and systematic review of multiple databases was performed up to March 2020 to identify studies comparing intestinal permeability in IBS patients with healthy controls. Both in vivo and in vitro studies were considered. Results: We identified 66 studies, of which 27 used intestinal probes to quantify barrier function. The prevalence of barrier dysfunction differed between PI-IBS (17–50%), IBS-D (37–62%) and IBS-C (4–25%). At a group level, permeability was increased compared with healthy controls in IBS-D (9/13 studies) and PI-IBS (4/4 studies), but only a minority of IBS-C (2/7 studies) and not in the only IBS-M study. All four studies in children with IBS demonstrated loss of barrier function. A heterogeneous set of tight junction genes were found to be altered in small and large intestines of adults with IBS, but these have not been evaluated in children. Positive associations were identified between barrier dysfunction and bowel disturbances (6/9 studies), abdominal pain (9/13 studies), overall symptom severity (1/6 studies), depression and anxiety (1/1 study) and quality of life (1/4 studies). Fecal slurry or supernatants of IBS patients were found to induce barrier disruption in animal models (5/6 studies). Conclusions: Barrier dysfunction is present in a significant proportion of adult and all pediatric IBS studies, especially in the IBS-D and PI-IBS subtype. The majority of studies indicated a positive association between loss of barrier function and symptoms such as abdominal pain and changes in the bowel function.


Author(s):  
Rena Maimaiti ◽  
Zhang Yuexin ◽  
Pan Kejun ◽  
Maimaitaili Wubili ◽  
Christophe Lalanne ◽  
...  

In total, 679 HIV-positive patients from 4 clinics in Urumqi city were given structured questionnaires by the doctors or nurses treating them. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) was assessed using the Chinese Patient-Reported Outcome Quality of Life-HIV questionnaire versions in Mandarin and Uyghur. This tool has been used in other parts of China and several countries. Compared to France, Australia, United States, Brazil, Thailand, Cambodia, Senegal, and Central-Southern China (CS China), the HRQL was significantly lower among HIV-positive patients in Xinjiang, with regard to the dimension of treatment impact and general health score. The health concern was similar to Brazil and Cambodia but lower than other countries and CS China. Our findings showed high stigmatization: 86% of the patients were afraid to tell others they were HIV positive and 69% often felt or always felt depressed. Only 1% of the patients were on antidepressant treatment.


Dental Update ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 907-913
Author(s):  
Kasim Butt ◽  
Razia Butt ◽  
Praveen Sharma

Periodontal disease is the most common chronic inflammatory disease seen in humans. It is a major public health concern, and in its severe form affects approximately 10.8% or 743 million people aged 15−99 worldwide. Trends such as the rise of smoking in developing countries, the obesity and diabetes epidemic, coupled with an ageing population with greater tooth retention, are all likely to increase the burden of periodontitis still further in the UK and worldwide. Consequences of periodontitis include hypermobility of teeth, tooth migration, drifting and eventual tooth loss. Tooth loss can directly affect the quality of life of a person in terms of reduced functional capacity, self-esteem and social relationships. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This article reports the prevalence of periodontal disease in the UK and worldwide, along with the consequences of periodontitis. The importance of timely diagnosis to avoid litigation is discussed, as is the importance of effective management of periodontitis in order to improve patients' oral health-related quality of life.


2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Clegg ◽  
Jackie Bryant ◽  
Tricia Nicholson ◽  
Linda McIntyre ◽  
Sofie De Broe ◽  
...  

Objectives: Systematic review of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease.Methods: Sixteen electronic databases (including MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and Embase) and bibliographies of related papers were searched for published/unpublished English language studies, and experts and pharmaceutical companies were consulted for additional information. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and economic studies were selected. Clinical effectiveness was assessed on measurement scales assessing progression of Alzheimer's disease on the person's global health, cognition, functional ability, behavior and mood, and quality of life. Cost-effectiveness was presented as incremental cost per year spent in a nonsevere state (by Mini Mental Health State Examination) or quality-adjusted life-year.Results: Twelve of 15 RCTs included were judged to be of good quality. Although donepezil had beneficial effects in Alzheimer's patients on global health and cognition, rivastigmine on global health, and galantamine on global health, cognition, and functional scales, these improvements were small and may not be clinically significant. Measures of quality of life and behavior and mood were rarely assessed. Adverse effects were usually mild and transient. Cost-effectiveness base case estimates ranged from £2,415 savings to £49,476 additional cost (1997 prices) per unit of effect for donepezil and a small savings for rivastigmine. Estimates were not considered robust or generalizable.Conclusions: Donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine appear to have some clinical effect for people with Alzheimer's disease, although the extent to which these translate into real differences in everyday life remains unclear. Due to the nature of current economic studies, cost-effectiveness remains uncertain and the impact on different care sectors has been inadequately investigated. Further research is needed to establish the actual benefits of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEls) for people with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers, the relationship of these changes to clinical management, and careful prospective evaluation of resource and budgetary consequences.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4097-4097
Author(s):  
Juan W. Valle ◽  
Antoine Hollebecque ◽  
Junji Furuse ◽  
Lipika Goyal ◽  
Funda Meric-Bernstam ◽  
...  

4097 Background: In FOENIX-CCA2 (NCT02052778), a pivotal phase 2 study among iCCA patients (pts) with FGFR2 fusions/rearrangements, the highly selective, irreversible FGFR1–4 inhibitor futibatinib demonstrated a confirmed objective response rate of 41.7%, with a 9.7-month median duration of response. Adverse events were manageable with dosing modifications that did not adversely impact on response. We report outcomes for the preplanned analysis of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) during futibatinib treatment as a secondary objective of FOENIX-CCA2. Methods: Pts enrolled in FOENIX-CCA2 had locally advanced/metastatic unresectable iCCA with FGFR2 fusions/rearrangements, ≥1 prior line of therapy (including gemcitabine/cisplatin) and ECOG PS 0-1. Pts received oral futibatinib 20 mg continuous QD dosing per 21-day cycle. PRO measures included EORTC-QLQ-C30 (1 global health, 5 functional, 9 symptom scales), EQ-5D-3L, and EQ visual analogue scale (VAS). PROs were collected at screening, cycles 2 and 4, every 3 cycles thereafter, and end of treatment. PRO data were evaluated up to cycle 13, the last visit before data were missing for >50% of the PRO population (PRO primary assessment time point). Results: 92/103 (89.3%) pts enrolled had PRO completion data at baseline and a minimum of 1 follow-up assessment (median age 58 y, 56.5% female), with 48 pts having PRO data at cycle 13. At baseline, mean (SD) EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status score was 70.1 (19.4) and EQ VAS score 71.7 (20.3). Mean EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status scores were maintained from baseline to cycle 13, corresponding to 9.0 months on treatment, with no clinically meaningful (≥10-point) changes in individual functional measures (Table). EORTC QLQ-C30 scores across individual symptom measures were also stable from baseline through cycle 13; only constipation showed an average of 10.0-point worsening at only cycle 4. Mean EQ VAS scores were sustained from baseline to cycle 13 (mean change ranging -1.8 to +4.8 across cycles), with values maintained within the population norm range from across 20 countries. Conclusions: Quality of life data from the phase 2 FOENIX-CCA2 trial show that physical, cognitive and emotional functioning, and overall health status were maintained among pts with advanced iCCA receiving futibatinib. Clinical trial information: NCT02052778. [Table: see text]


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Horne ◽  
Maryan Hardy ◽  
Trevor Murrells ◽  
Hassan Ugail ◽  
Andrew Hill

BACKGROUND Obesity is a global public health concern. Interventions rely predominantly on managing dietary intake and/or increasing physical activity but sustained adherence to behavioural regimens is often poor. As with all interventions, the lack of sustained motivation, self-efficacy and poor adherence to behavioural regimens are recognized barriers to successful weight loss. Avatar-based interventions have been found to achieve better patient outcomes in the management of chronic conditions by promoting more active engagement and the virtual representations of ‘self’ have been shown to impact real-world behaviour, acting as a catalyst for sustained weight loss behaviour. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate whether a personalised avatar, offered as an adjunct to an established weight loss programme, could increase participant motivation and sustain engagement, optimise service delivery, and improve participant health outcomes. METHODS A feasibility randomised design was used to determine the case for future development and evaluation of avatar-based technology in a randomised controlled trial. Participants were recruited from GP referrals to a 12-week NHS weight improvement programme. The main outcome measure was weight loss. Secondary outcome measures were quality-of-life and self-efficacy. Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive statistical tests and exploratory comparison between intervention and control arms. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed through interviews analysed using the framework approach. HRA ethical approval was granted. RESULTS 10 males (7 intervention; 3 routine care) and 33 females (23 intervention; 10 routine care) were recruited. Initial mean weight of participants was greater in the intervention than routine care arm (126.3 kg vs 122.9 kg); pattern of weight loss was similar across both arms of the study in period T0-T1 but accelerated in period T1-T2 for intervention participants, suggesting that access to the self-resembling avatar may promote greater engagement with weight loss initiatives in the short to medium term. Mean change in weight of participants from T0 to T2 was 4.5kg (95% CI: 2.7-6.3) in routine care arm and 5.3kg (95% CI: 3.9-6.8) in the intervention arm. Quality-of-life and self-efficacy measures demonstrated greater improvement in the intervention arm at both T1 (105.5 routine care; 99.7 intervention arm) and T2 (100.1 routine care; 81.2 intervention arm). 13 participants (11 Female, 2 Male) and two healthcare professionals were interviewed about their experience of using the avatar programme. CONCLUSIONS Overall, participants found using the personalised avatar acceptable and feedback reiterated that seeing a future ‘self’ helped reinforce motivation to change behaviour. This feasibility study demonstrated that avatar-based technology may successfully promote engagement and motivation in weight loss programmes, enabling participants to achieve greater weight loss gains and build self-confidence and belief. CLINICALTRIAL 17953876


Author(s):  
Shanmuga Sundaram Rajagopal ◽  
Krishnaveni Kandasamy ◽  
Agilan Natarajan ◽  
Joyal Sebastian ◽  
Manikanta Konakalla ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTObjective: Hypertension (HTN) expends a consequential public health concern on cardiovascular health status and health-care systems in India. Theeffectuation of the pharmaceutical care program in the health care is an extremely important need to achieve the optimum therapeutic effect. Theobjective of the study was to assess the impact of pharmacist intervention on patient’s blood pressure (BP) level, quality of life (QOL), and knowledge,attitude, and practice (KAP) of hypertensive patients.Methods: A randomized controlled pilot study was carried out for 6 months. The hypertensive patients were randomized into control and interventiongroup based on age, and both the groups were interviewed using KAP and WHO QOL-BREF questionnaires, screened BP, respectively, at baseline andeach follow-up after post counseling section to the intervention group. The effect of pharmacist intervention on QOL and KAP among control andintervention was statistically analyzed by paired t-test using SPSS version 16.Results: The total sample studied was 60, of which 20 (33.33%) were males and 40 (66.67%) were females. In our study, the QOL score for eachdomain of both intervention and control groups were almost poor (p˃0.05) at baseline and for the intervention group, a highly significant improvement(p<0.001) was observed for all domains in final follow-up. KAP score of intervention group also showed a significant improvement (p<0.001) frombaseline to final follow-up. In this study, intervention group showed a significant mean reduction of systolic BP from baseline 150.13±25.670 to finalfollow-up 145.33±12.914.Conclusion: The results of the study showed a significant improvement in the patient’s KAP toward different aspects of HTN and QOL followingpharmacist mediated counseling. Involvement of pharmacy practitioners in the management of HTN significantly improves QOL and KAPs.Keywords: Hypertension, Quality of life, Knowledge, Attitude and practice, Pharmacist intervention, Patient counseling.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie D. Bland

Colic is the major cause of morbidity and mortality, premature deaths, and is the number one health concern in horses. To increase the quality of life for horses, it is vital to understand the causes, signs, diagnostics, treatment, and prevention of colic. Horses are hindgut fermenters and their cecal microbiome can easily be altered due to environmental and physiological changes. Colic can be induced from starch overloading, which can have detrimental effects on the cecum microbiome, such as decreasing hindgut pH and altering the production of volatile fatty acids. In addition, if the immune system becomes compromised, causing changes in the hindgut microbiome, this will trigger a proliferation of opportunistic and pathogenic bacteria, which can cause numerous gastrointestinal diseases, resulting in colic. However, identifying a variety of microorganisms in the cecum is extremely difficult and understudied because difficulties in sampling and not all bacteria strains can be cultured. Therefore, next generation sequencing has helped in identifying microbes found in the gastrointestinal tract. Using the application of metagenomics, allows scientists to be able to sequence thousands of microorganisms simultaneously. In addition, exploring new techniques to help identify and achieve a clearer picture of the microbiome population and how it may change during bouts of colic could revolutionize the way veterinarians diagnose colic and tailoring a treatment specific to the microoganisms that are proliferating. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of colic and next technological advances could increase the quality of life for horses and minimize the mortality rates.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (esp. 1) ◽  
pp. 393-408
Author(s):  
André Luiz Pereira Silva ◽  
Doralice Otaviano ◽  
Fernanda Cruz Vieira Ferreira ◽  
Jurema Valkiria Otaviano ◽  
Jussara Otaviano ◽  
...  

Suddenly in March 2020 we found ourselves confined and isolated in our homes, due to a global health crisis arising from a pandemic, caused by the contamination of a virus called COVID-19. This health crisis also generated a crisis in the social determinants of health, especially those related to the economy, education and culture. But it also generated another crisis, the psychosocial crisis, where populations affected by the effects of mental damage caused by the pandemic and isolation, showed important signs of stress. It is in this scenario that the Integrative Community Therapy, previously carried out in person, is renewed and reinvented. This article reports on the experience of implementing the Integrative Community Therapy online in Brazil and presents the results of the Afinando Vidas Pole in the contribution of improving the quality of life and the individual and collective mental health of the Brazilian population.


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