scholarly journals Epilepsy Benchmarks Area IV: Limit or Prevent Adverse Consequence of Seizures and Their Treatment Across the Life Span

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 31S-39S ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana E. Jones ◽  
Miya R. Asato ◽  
Mesha-Gay Brown ◽  
Julia L. Doss ◽  
Elizabeth A. Felton ◽  
...  

Epilepsy represents a complex spectrum disorder, with patients sharing seizures as a common symptom and manifesting a broad array of additional clinical phenotypes. To understand this disorder and treat individuals who live with epilepsy, it is important not only to identify pathogenic mechanisms underlying epilepsy but also to understand their relationships with other health-related factors. Benchmarks Area IV focuses on the impact of seizures and their treatment on quality of life, development, cognitive function, and other aspects and comorbidities that often affect individuals with epilepsy. Included in this review is a discussion on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and other causes of mortality, a major area of research focus with still many unanswered questions. We also draw attention to special populations, such as individuals with nonepileptic seizures and pregnant women and their offspring. In this study, we review the progress made in these areas since the 2016 review of the Benchmarks Area IV and discuss challenges and opportunities for future study.

Author(s):  
Jong Cheol Shin ◽  
Mei-Po Kwan ◽  
Diana S. Grigsby-Toussaint

Green space exposure is thought to have a positive influence on physical activity behavior and overall health. However, the literature remains equivocal, and green space measurement methods remain complicated. Using data from the Illinois Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, this study examines the influence of green space on health-related factors, such as exercise, physical health, and mental health. Moreover, we explore the methods for measuring community green space via various spatial boundaries and green space resources. The results show that combining two contextually designated census boundaries and a measure of green space with seasonality were the best spatial conceptualizations for capturing community green space. Moreover, the findings showed a positive influence of green space exposure on health outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of considering geographic contexts of daily human behaviors and green space seasonality in providing a better understanding of the influence of community activity space on environmental exposure measurement. Further, this work contributes to community planning for encouraging health-promoting behaviors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 1241
Author(s):  
Jayasri Helen Gali ◽  
Harsha Vardhana Varma ◽  
Aruna Kumari Badam

Background: More than fifty percent of the cured cases of pulmonary tuberculosis develop some form of chronic pulmonary dysfunction. It can present with varying degrees of lung damage, ranging from minimum functional abnormalities to severe forms of dysfunction that can be an important cause of death. Objective of the study to identify the various Post Tuberculosis Lung Diseases (PTBLDs) and to study impact of the patient and disease related factors on its occurrence.Methods: Cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in 134 adult, post tuberculosis patients, aged between 18-65 years, who have completed at least one year after the end of anti-tubercular treatment. All symptomatic post TB lung disease patients coming to the pulmonology out-patient clinic at the Apollo Institute of Medical sciences and Research were included in the study.Results: Majority were more than 50 years (35.3%) and males (59.4%). Majority were from urban areas (70.7%), low social class (72.2%), and unskilled workers (56.4%). Most common symptom was cough in 74.4% cases. Majority of the cases had symptoms from one week to one month i.e. 47.4%. Only eight cases were found out to be very prompt in reporting their symptoms. 39 cases had some or the other co-morbidity. Current chest X-ray status was normal in only three cases. Mean FEV1 was 1.38 which increased to 1.52; mean FVC was 1.23 which increased to 1.58; mean FEV1/FVC was 67.37 which increased to 72.76 after giving the bronchodilator. 78(58.6%) cases had obstructive and 27(20.3%) had restrictive lung disease. In 30 cases the disease was reversible. Majority of the cases were of pulmonary fibrosis followed by bronchiectasis.Conclusion: Further studies are needed to develop approaches for the prevention, care and treatment of patients with post TBLD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 690-711
Author(s):  
Sidsel Karsberg ◽  
Ruby Charak ◽  
Ask Elklit

AimTo examine the unique contribution of child maltreatment victimization on the association between adolescent dating violence (ADV) and four negative behavioral and health-related factors.MethodIn total, 2,934 7th grade students (M = 13.5, SD = .5) filled out questionnaires at school. Binominal logistic regression was performed to assess the impact of child maltreatment on the relationship between ADV and behavioral and health-related factors.ResultsAfter child maltreatment was taken into account, associations between ADV and the negative behavioral and health-related factors became weaker.ConclusionsThe findings from the present study suggest that focusing on one victimization type (such as ADV) when examining psychological outcomes, can be problematic as the causal relationship may be misrepresented when an adolescent's broader victimization profile and context is not considered.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Dupuis ◽  
Lia Tsotsos

The impact of an aging population on healthcare and the sustainability of our healthcare system are pressing issues in contemporary society. Technology has the potential to address these challenges, alleviating pressures on the healthcare system and empowering individuals to have greater control over monitoring their own health. Importantly, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets can allow older adults to have “on the go” access to health-related information. This paper explores mobile health apps that enable older adults and those who care for them to track health-related factors such as body readings and medication adherence, and it serves as a review of the literature on the usability and acceptance of mobile health apps in an older population.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (17) ◽  
pp. 6117
Author(s):  
Christos Zilidis ◽  
Dimitrios Papagiannis ◽  
Georgios Rachiotis

Background. Suicide mortality increased in Greece after the 2008 financial crisis. This study aimed to explore the regional variation of suicide mortality before and after the economic crisis, and its correlation with socio-economic and mental health-related variables factors. Methods. This is a quasi-experimental ecological study. Data from the national mortality statistics were analyzed, and standardized death rates and age-specific mortality rates were calculated. The effect of economic crisis was explored by comparing mortality rates before and after crisis onset. Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression were used to assess the impact of socioeconomic and mental health-related factors on suicide mortality. Results. Trends of suicide mortality showed a rise during 2011–2014, followed by a decline during 2015–2016. Significant differences were observed between regions, ranging from 27.6% lower to 54% higher than the national average. Unemployment, income, and change of gross domestic product were significantly correlated with regional variation. No association was found with mental disorder mortality rates and psychotropic drug consumption. Conclusions. Socio-economic factors explained only a part of the suicide mortality variation. Mental health-related factors were not significantly correlated with suicide mortality. More research is needed to investigate other possible determinants of suicides.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabnam Banerjee ◽  
Arunanjan Saha

Objective - The objective of this study is to evaluate the association with different factors empirically found to affect the spread and the severity of Covid-19. Evidently there is less likelihood of having one single and absolute solution to this pandemic. It is pragmatic to look for a multi-pronged and collaborative assembly of probable solutions, which is the higher objective of this study. Design - Ecological study. Setting - Global setting including 45 countries from all six inhabited continents Population Two (2) or three (3) countries from each geographical region of the continents selected on the basis of population Main outcome - measures correlation factors derived from comparisons between different sets of variables Results - Empirical trends suggested in the existing literature were quantified in a global setting establishing clear trends. Correlation between the proportion of the population affected and median age, prime climate zones, malaria and tuberculosis incidence, BCG coverage and mitigation measures were established. Conclusions The study findings suggest that demographic and climatological factors, high endemicity of TB and Malaria, and universal BCG programmes may have a cushioning effect in the impact of Covid-19 on health systems of poorer and developing nations. In the light of these findings more emphasis is necessary on the protective effects of BCG and antiviral properties of antimalarial drugs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravi Philip Rajkumar

Objectives: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has varied widely across nations and even in different regions of the same nation. Some of this variability may be due to the interplay of pre-existing demographic, psychological, social and health-related factors in a given population. Methods: Data on the COVID-19 prevalence, crude mortality and case fatality rates were obtained from official government statistics for 24 regions of India. The relationship between these parameters and demographic, social, psychological and health-related indices in these states was examined using both bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results: A variety of factors - state population, sex ratio, and burden of diarrhoeal disease and ischemic heart disease - were associated with measures of the impact of COVID-19 on bivariate analyses. On multivariate analyses, prevalence and crude mortality rate were both significantly and negatively associated with the sex ratio. Conclusions: These results suggest that the transmission and impact of COVID-19 in a given population may be influenced by a number of variables, with demographic factors showing the most consistent association.


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