Impact of high baseline Aspergillus-specific IgG levels on weight and quality-of-life outcomes of patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (7) ◽  
pp. 1000-1004
Author(s):  
Felix Bongomin ◽  
Tomaz Garcez ◽  
David W Denning
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Antifungal Treatment ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Pulmonary Aspergillosis ◽  
Group A ◽  
Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis ◽  
Specific Igg ◽  
Group B ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the impact of quantitative baseline Aspergillus-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) serum levels on weight changes of patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) under antifungal treatment. We retrospectively reviewed data of patients diagnosed with CPA between April 2015 and March 2018 at the National Aspergillosis Centre (Manchester, UK). All patients were on continued antifungal treatment for 12 months. Data on Aspergillus-specific IgG levels, St George's quality of life (SGQoL) variables and weight at baseline, 6 months and 12 months were extracted. We defined a high serum Aspergillus-specific IgG as ≥ 200 mg/l (Group A) and low level < 200 mg/l (Group B). Forty-nine patients (37 male; 12 female), median age 65 years (range: 29–86) were studied. Overall, 33% (n = 16) of the patients were in Group A. The baseline characteristics between the two groups were similar. The median Charlson comorbidity index was 4 (range: 0–5) and 3 (range: 0–9) for Group A and Group B, respectively (P = .543). There was a sustained decline in median Aspergillus IgG levels from baseline, through 6 month to 12 months of continues therapy from 170 (range: 20–1110) to 121 (range: 20–1126), and finally 107 (15–937) mg/l, respectively (P < .001). Group A patients gained more weight at 6 months (9/15 [60%] vs. 7/33 [21%], P = .012) and at 12 months of treatment (9/15 [60%] vs. 7/33 [22%]), and more patients in Group B lost weight ((13/33 [41%] vs. 1/15 [7%]), P = .015). However, there was no difference in QoL outcomes across groups at 6 (P = .3) and 12 (P = .7) months. A very high Aspergillus IgG may confer a higher likelihood of weight gain as a key, objective marker of clinical response, if patients can tolerate 12 months of antifungal therapy.

scholarly journals An Observational Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Quality of Life Provided by Netupitant and Palonosetron Regimen against Ondansetron in Management and Prevention of CINV

2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghana Dutta ◽  
Rooha K
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Treatment Plan ◽  
Complete Response ◽  
Nausea And Vomiting ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
The Impact

Cancer is a public health concern amongst millions of humans and claims hundreds of lives every year. The maximum worry-inducing side effect of cancer treatment is nausea and vomiting. Therefore, stopping and managing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting is an important part of a cancer patient’s treatment plan. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and quality of life provided by two commonly used antiemetic regimens in the management and prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in cancer patients. We assessed patient-reported nausea, vomiting, use of rescue medication, and Functional Living IndexEmesis (FLIE) questionnaire results, and used them as parameters to make comparisons. We also examined the percentage of patients showing complete response (CR; no emesis and non-use of rescue antiemetics), and the impact of CINV on patient’s daily life during the acute and delayed phases. The results show that the complete response is achieved by 26 patients in group-B and 18 patients in group-A, from the total 60 patients, while the FLIE scores indicated better quality of life is maintained in group-B (76.6%). In the study, the predominance of Netupitant and Palonosetron regimen to Ondansetron was demonstrated.

scholarly journals The Impact of Malocclusions and Orthodontic Treatments on a Patient's Quality of Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farid Bourzgui ◽  
Samir Diouny ◽  
Dounia Kamal ◽  
Hakima Aghoutan ◽  
Zineb Serhier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Orthodontic Treatment ◽  
Psychosocial Impact ◽  
Index Score ◽  
Par Index ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
The Impact

Aim: This study aimed to compare the variations in patients’ perception of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), using the Moroccan version of PIDAQ, before and after orthodontic treatment among patients with the same initial PAR Index score, age, and gender.Methods: In this study, 67 participants were divided into 2 groups. Group A (treated, control group) consisted of 30 patients who received orthodontic treatment; group B comprised of 37 patients who were either at the initiation stage of treatment or potential candidates. The matching of group A and group B was achieved by reaching a compromise between PAR index score, age and gender. The assessment of the psychosocial impact of malocclusion was carried out using the Moroccan version of PIDAQ. The Chi-square test was used to establish associations between qualitative variables. Levene and Mann Whitney's tests were employed to determine the associations between quantitative variables.Results: The age of the patients ranges from 7 to 58 years, with a mean age of 23 years +/_10. 22. While 41 subjects (61.2%) consulted for aesthetic reasons, 26 subjects (38.8%) consulted for a functional reason. The distribution of scores of the two groups before and after orthodontic intervention showed no significant difference between the mean scores of the four PIDAQ domains.Conclusion: The results of our study showed a significant improvement in the psychosocial impact of malocclusion when comparing the two case-control groups, with a reduction in the perceived needs of patients who completed orthodontic treatment.

scholarly journals Utility of St. George’s respiratory questionnaire in predicting clinical recurrence in chronic pulmonary aspergillosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 204993612110346
Author(s):  
Felix Bongomin ◽  
Akaninyene Otu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Antifungal Therapy ◽  
Disease Recurrence ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Pulmonary Aspergillosis ◽  
Clinical Recurrence ◽  
St George's Respiratory Questionnaire ◽  
Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis ◽  
The Impact

Background and Aims: Patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) who discontinue antifungal therapy commonly exhibit disease recurrence. We aimed to evaluate the utility of the St. George’s respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) in predicting the likelihood of clinical recurrence of CPA in patients who come off antifungal therapy. Methods: This audit included CPA patients for whom antifungal therapy was discontinued for at least 1 month. Comparisons were made between the quality of life scores at the time of discontinuation of treatment and at the time of diagnosis of clinical recurrence. The change in patients’ self-assessment scores was also compared. Results: There were 33 cases and 44 controls. Of the 33 cases, 22 (67%) were males with a mean age of 62 ± 13 years. The median for the symptom component of quality of life (QoL) changed from 78.4 at the time of discontinuation of therapy to 83.1 units at the time of diagnosis of clinical failure ( p = 0.043), whereas that of the impact and activity components changed from 62.7 to 59.1 units ( p = 0.387) and 85.0 to 85.9 units ( p = 0.153), respectively. At 12 months, the symptoms domain of SGRQ was able to discriminate between cases of clinical recurrence and controls [area under the curve (AUC) 0.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.6–0.8, p = 0.009]. The proportion of patients in very poor health status increased from 3/11 (9.1%) to 11/33 (33.3%) ( p = 0.046). Conclusion: A deteriorating symptoms component of the SGRQ and a worsening of patients’ self-assessment are associated with clinical recurrence. Failure to improve by >8 units in the symptoms domain appear to be a marker of disease recurrence. We propose that the clinical approach to diagnose recurrent CPA would be a combination of clinical history, SGRQ scoring, chest imaging and a workup to exclude other causes of the patients’ symptoms.

scholarly journals Effect of capecitabine combined with irinotecan on the safety of colon cancer treatment, patients’ adverse reactions and quality of life

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 2413-2418
Author(s):  
Ingjuan Fan ◽  
Qing Li ◽  
Weijie Zhong ◽  
Shuang He ◽  
Kangbao Li
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Colon Cancer ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Adverse Reactions ◽  
Clinical Prognosis ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: To study the impact of the combination of capecitabine and irinotecan on the safety of colon cancer treatment, adverse reactions and wellbeing of patients.Methods: Colon cancer subjects (n =120) admitted to Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, Guangzhou, China were assigned equally to two groups (A and B) according to their order of admission, and they received intravenous infusion of irinotecan. In addition, group A patients were administered capecitabine, but those in B group were given tegafur, gimeracil and oteracil porassium. The patients in groups A and B were compared with respect to the incidence of unwanted effects, quality of life (QoL), and overall clinical efficacy of the treatments.Results: Cases of nausea and vomiting, delayed diarrhea and sensory neuropathy of the patients were significantly reduced in group A, relative to group B. Moreover, QoL score after treatment was markedly higher in group A than in group B, while the objective response rate (ORR) of colon cancer patients in group A was also significantly higher than that in group B (p < 0.05). However, no obvious difference in disease control rate (DCR) was observed between groups A and B (p > 0.05).Conclusion: Combined capecitabine and irinotecan therapy effectively improves clinical prognosis, reduces the incidence of adverse reactions, and is safe in colon cancer patients. Therefore, the combined treatment may be beneficial in the management of colon cancer.

Joint involvement influences quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Lupus ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 096120332097903
Author(s):  
Francesco Natalucci ◽  
Fulvia Ceccarelli ◽  
Enrica Cipriano ◽  
Carlo Perricone ◽  
Giulio Olivieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Lupus Erythematosus ◽  
Disease Duration ◽  
Joint Involvement ◽  
Systemic Lupus ◽  
Median Disease Duration ◽  
Group A ◽  
Musculoskeletal Manifestations ◽  
Group B

Introduction Joint involvement represents the major determinant in quality of life (QoL)in Systemic Lupus Erhytematosus (SLE) patients. However, QoLhas been generally evaluated by non-specific questionnaires. We evaluated the relationship between SLE musculoskeletal manifestations and QoL, assessed by LupusQoL. Methods Patients with joint involvement (group A) were compared with those without this feature (group B). Disease activity was assessed by SLEDAI-2k in the whole population, while DAS28 and swollen to tender ratio were applied to assess joint activity. LupusQoL was administered to all the patients. Results Group A included 110 patients [M/F 8/102; median age 49 years (IQR 13), median disease duration 156 months (IQR 216)], group B 58 [M/F 11/47; median age 40 years (IQR 15), median disease duration 84 months (IQR 108)].We found significanlty lower values in all the LupusQoL domains except for one (burden to others) in group A in comparison with group B. A significant correlation between DAS28 values and all the LupusQoL domains in group A was found; only three domains correlated with SLEDAI-2k. Conclusions SLE-related joint involvement significantly influences disease-specific QoL. DAS28 better correlated with LupusQoL domains in comparison with SLEDAI-2k, confirming the need for specific musculoskeletal activity indices.

Comparison of Post-Operative Quality of Life between Vaginal Hysterectomy and Abdominal Hysterectomy

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 1801-1803
Author(s):  
Nazia Sajjad ◽  
Sara Qadir ◽  
Rukhsana Kasi ◽  
Tayyaba Rasheed ◽  
Fozia Unar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Vaginal Hysterectomy ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Abdominal Hysterectomy ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B ◽  
Satisfactory Quality

Objectives: To compare the frequency of satisfactory quality of life between vaginal hysterectomy and abdominal hysterectomy. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niazi Medical & Dental College, Sargodha from 1st April 2020 to 31st December 2020. Methodology: Ninety patients were comprised and they were divided in two groups; group A (vaginal hysterectomy) and Group B (abdominal hysterectomy) were performed. Hysterectomies (vaginal or abdominal) were performed by consultant gynecologist having experience at having least 5 years). Results: Mean age of the patients was 49.82±3.207 years, mean age of the patients of group A was 49.82±3.193 years and mean age of the patients of group B was 49.82±3.256 years. Satisfactory quality of life was noted in 38 (84.44%) patients of study group A and 29 (64.44%) patients of study group B. Statistically significant (P = 0.051) difference between the frequency of satisfactory quality of life between the both groups was noted. Conclusion: Results of this study reveals that post hysterectomy quality of life found more satisfactory in vaginal hysterectomy group as compared to abdominal hysterectomy group. Insignificant association of post hysterectomy quality of life with age group, marital status, parity and socio-economical status was found. Findings of this study also revealed that post hysterectomy satisfactory quality of life is not associated with education of the patients. Key words: Hysterectomy, Quality of life, abdomen, vagina, WHO, Uterus

scholarly journals Immediate Effect of Muscle Energy Technique and Kalternborn Mobilisation Technique on Pain in Diabetic Patients with Periarthritis of Shoulder

2021 ◽  
pp. 220-228
Author(s):  
Kamya Somaiya ◽  
G. D. Vishnu Vardhan ◽  
Ashish Bele
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Adhesive Capsulitis ◽  
Frozen Shoulder ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Tissue Degeneration ◽  
Muscle Energy Technique ◽  
Group A ◽  
Muscle Energy ◽  
Group B

Background: Periarthritis Shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition that results in tissue degeneration, thickening of the joint capsule, and a narrowing of the glenoid cavity. Diabetes mellitus is linked to many debilitating musculoskeletal disorders of the hand and shoulder. Prevalence of adhesive capsulitis or frozen shoulder is estimated to be 11-30 percent in people with diabetes. Various interventions have already been used to prevent pain and improve quality of life. Both Muscle Energy Technique and Kalternborn Mobilization Technique are thought to have a pain-relieving effect. Aim & Objective: The study's aim is to compare the effects of both techniques on pain in diabetic patients. Methods/Design: In this study experimental study, the participants will be divided into two groups: Kalternborn Mobilization Technique Group (A) and Muscle Energy Technique Group (B) based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Both interventions include 30-45 min session which will be carried out for duration of four days. Outcome will be Pain and Quality of Life and outcome measures will be evaluated at beginning and at the end of intervention period. Result: Successful Completion of trial of Muscle Energy Technique and Kalternborn Mobilisation Technique will provide evidence for best strategy targeting Pain and quality of life in diabetic patients with Periarthritis of Shoulder. Conclusion: The study will be concluded with the significant effect of Muscle Energy Technique and Kalternborn Mobilisation Technique on Periarthritis shoulder of diabetic patients.

scholarly journals BIOBRAN MGN-3

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (01) ◽  
pp. 13-16
Author(s):  
Ahmad Ijaz Masood ◽  
RABEETA SHEIKH ◽  
RANA ATIQUE ANWER
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Hair Loss ◽  
White Blood Cells ◽  
Food Supplement ◽  
Severe Nausea ◽  
Treatment Side Effects ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B

Objective: The aim of study was to assess the effect of Biobran in reducing of chemotherapy induced side effects in termsof tiredness, anorexia, vomiting and hair loss and quality of life in terms of weight loss. Setting: Radiotherapy Department, NishtarHospital Multan. Material and Methods: Fifty patients of breast cancer were enrolled randomly in two groups. Group-A patients weregiven 3 gram dose of Biobran MGN-3 per day one week before and one week after chemotherapy. Group-B patient were givenchemotherapy alone. Total six cycles of chemotherapy were given. No multivitamin or food supplements were given during this study.Chemotherapy induced side effects (tiredness, anorexia, and vomiting, hair loss) were assessed by questionnaire to the patients beforestart of each cycle. Weight was checked before each cycle to assess weight gain or loss. White blood cells were checked by completeblood count just before and one week after chemotherapy. Results: Between six months, 50 patients were enrolled in RadiotherapyDepartment, Nishtar Hospital Multan. There was a significant reduction in tiredness and anorexia in group-A patients. 20 (80%) patients ofgroup-A felt increase in their diet and no tiredness without any appetizer or multivitamin. But group-B patients demanded for appetizer dueto severe anorexia after chemotherapy except 3 (12%) patients who didn’t use any appetizer or food supplement. In group-A, 15 (60%)patients didn’t need any anti-emetic as compared to group-B all patient (100%) experienced severe nausea during and afterchemotherapy. Group-A patients experienced less hair fall 7 (28%) patients as compared to other group which is 25 (100%) patients.Conclusions: The study showed that, by helping to optimize the immune system, Biobran MGN-3 can not only help maximize treatmentsuccess, but also minimize treatment side effects and improve quality of life during treatment and in recovery.

scholarly journals Effects of Nonsurgical Spinal Decompression Treatment on the Level of Pain and Quality of Life in Patients with Cervical or Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Retrospective Observational Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-269
Author(s):  
Beom Seok Kim ◽  
Ye Ji Lee ◽  
Hyo Bin Kim ◽  
Ki Jung Sung ◽  
Ju Hyun Jeon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Retrospective Observational Study ◽  
Spinal Decompression ◽  
Traditional Korean Medicine ◽  
Korean Medicine ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B

Background: This study aims to statistically analyze and compare the curative effect and satisfaction level between typical traditional Korean medicine treatment and nonsurgical spinal decompression treatment.Methods: Of the patients who were diagnosed with the cervical or lumbar herniated intervertebral disc at the Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine at the Daejeon Korean Medicine Hospital from April 14<sup>th</sup> to August 25<sup>th</sup>, 2019, this study retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 31 patients who underwent nonsurgical spinal decompression treatment and traditional Korean medicine (assigned to Group A) and another 31 patients who received typical traditional Korean medicine alone (assigned to Group B). The clinical data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Version 23.0.Results: No statistically significant differences appeared in terms of sociodemographic, condition, and therapeutic characteristics, except whether the patient received Western medicine treatment, before or after a treatment with traditional Korean medicine. Group A exhibited higher variations in numeric rating scale, EuroQol- 5 dimension and EuroQol visual analogue scale scores compared to Group B as determined by independent sample <i>t</i> test and analysis of covariance. In addition, the satisfaction score of Group A was higher than that of Group B The result of cross analysis revealed that desire for continued treatment in Group A was higher than that of Group B.Conclusion: This retrospective observational study showed that the patients with nonsurgical spinal decompression treatment reported a greater reduction in pain, improved quality of life and satisfaction than patients receiving typical traditional Korean medicine.

scholarly journals Quality of life, clinical outcomes and safety of early prophylactic levothyroxine administration in patients with Graves' hyperthyroidism undergoing radioiodine therapy: a randomized controlled study

2016 ◽  
Vol 174 (4) ◽  
pp. 491-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Taïeb ◽  
Claire Bournaud ◽  
Marie-Claude Eberle ◽  
Bogdan Catargi ◽  
Claire Schvartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Primary Endpoint ◽  
Radioiodine Therapy ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Thyroid Function Tests ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B

ObjectiveWhile radioiodine therapy is commonly used for treating Graves' disease, a prolonged and clinical hypothyroidism may result in disabling symptoms leading to deterioration of quality of life (QoL) of patients. Introducing levothyroxine (LT4) treatment in the early post-therapeutic period may be an interesting approach to limit this phenomenon.MethodsA multicenter, prospective, open-label randomized controlled trial enrolled 94 patients with Graves' hyperthyroidism randomly assigned to the experimental group (n=46) (group A: early prophylactic LT4treatment) or the control group (n=48) (group B: standard follow-up). The primary endpoint was the 6-month QoL. The secondary endpoints were other QoL scores such as Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) outcomes, thyroid function tests and safety.ResultsThe primary endpoint at 6 months was achieved: the mental composite score (MCS) of Short Form 36 (SF-36) was significantly higher in group A compared to group B (P=0.009). Four other dimension scores of the SF-36 and four dimension scores of the thyroid-specific patient-reported outcome (ThyPRO) significantly differed between the two groups, indicating better QoL in group A. After adjustment for variables, the early LT4administration strategy was found as an independent factor for only two scores of SF-36: the MCS and the general health (GH) score. There were no differences in GO, final thyroid status and changes in the anti-TSH receptor antibodies (TRAbs) levels between the two groups. No adverse cardiovascular event was reported.ConclusionEarly LT4administration post-radioactive iodine (RAI) could represent a safe potential benefit for patients with regard to QoL. The optimal strategy taking into account administered RAI activities and LT4treatment dosage and timing remains to be determined.

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