Application of cold intolerance symptom severity questionnaire among vibration-exposed workers as a screening tool for the early detection of hand-arm vibration syndrome: a cross-sectional study

Background: Thyroid diseases occur more frequently in people exposed to ionizing radiation, but the relationship between occupational exposure to ionizing radiation and thyroid pathologies still remains unclear. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of thyroid diseases in healthcare workers exposed to low-level ionizing radiation compared with a control group working at the University Hospital of Bari, Southern Italy, and living in the same geographical area, characterized by mild iodine deficiency. Methods: We ran a cross-sectional study to investigate whether healthcare workers exposed to ionizing radiation had a higher prevalence of thyroid diseases. Four hundred and forty-four exposed healthcare workers (241 more exposed, or “A Category”, and 203 less exposed, or “B Category”) and 614 nonexposed healthcare workers were enrolled during a routine examination at the Occupational Health Unit. They were asked to fill in an anamnestic questionnaire and undergo a physical examination, serum determination of fT3, fT4 and TSH, anti-TPO ab and anti-TG ab and ultrasound neck scan. Thyroid nodules were submitted to fine needle aspiration biopsy when indicated. Results: The prevalence of thyroid diseases was statistically higher in the exposed workers compared to controls (40% vs 29%, adPR 1.65; IC95% 1.34-2.07). In particular, the thyroid nodularity prevalence in the exposed group was approximately twice as high as that in the controls (29% vs 13%; adPR 2.83; IC95% 2.12-3.8). No statistically significant association was found between exposure to ionizing radiation and other thyroid diseases. Conclusion: In our study, mild ionizing radiation-exposed healthcare workers had a statistically higher prevalence of thyroid diseases than the control group. The results are likely due to a closer and more meticulous health surveillance programme carried out in the ionising radiation-exposed workers, allowing them to identify thyroid alterations earlier than non-exposed health staff.

Download Full-text

First Prospective Cross-Sectional Study on the Impact of Immigration Background and Education in Early Detection of Breast Cancer

Breast Care ◽

10.1159/000511654 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Elna Kuehnle ◽

Wulf Siggelkow ◽

Kristina Luebbe ◽

Iris Schrader ◽

Karl-Heinz Noeding ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Early Detection ◽

First Generation ◽

Participation Rate ◽

Educational Status ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

First Generation Immigrants ◽

Cancer Early Detection

Background: Although immigrant health is an important issue in national health policy, there is a serious shortage of data in many countries. Most studies lack information on educational status, which is a major limitation. This prospective cross-sectional study analyzed a real-world breast cancer population on the influence of immigration background and educational status on participation in breast cancer early detection programs in the federal state of Lower Saxony, Germany. Methods: Data collection was conducted from 2012 to 2016 in six certified breast cancer centers using a standardized questionnaire for patients’ interview and tumor-specific data from the patients’ medical records. Results: 2,145/3,047 primary breast cancer cases were analyzed. 17.5% of our patients had a history of immigration, including n = 202 first-generation immigrants and n = 168 second-generation immigrants. Most of them were citizens of EU27 member states. No significant difference was seen in age, tumor stage, histology, grading, Ki-67, Her2/neu-status, and hormone receptor status compared to the native cohort. 100% participation rate in the breast cancer early detection programs were seen in patients with no school graduation. With regards to the national mammography screening program, participation decreased significantly with educational status (p = 0.0003). Conclusions: No tumor biological differences were seen between immigrants and German natives. In first-generation immigrants, early detection programs were well accepted despite sociocultural and language differences. Participation rate decreased significantly with higher education levels irrespective of country of origin. Immigration background does not have a negative effect on the participation in breast cancer screening. This mainly relates to immigrants from EU27 member states.

Download Full-text

Prostate cancer awareness and attitude toward early detection among male soldiers in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

African Journal of Urology ◽

10.1186/s12301-019-0004-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Juliana Gyasi Necku ◽

Emmanuel Anongeba Anaba ◽

Aaron Asibi Abuosi

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Early Detection ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Interventions ◽

Effective Management ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cancer Awareness ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes ◽

Positive Attitudes

Abstract Background Prostate cancer (PC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths among men in Ghana. This poses a public health threat, especially among the Ghana Armed Force (GAF) where the majority are males. This study aimed to assess male soldiers’ awareness, knowledge and attitudes toward early detection of prostate cancer. Results It was found that 58.3% of the soldiers were less aware of PC and 76.0% had low or neutral knowledge regarding risk factors and symptoms of PC. The soldiers had positive attitudes toward early detection but had low intentions of getting tested. Awareness was significantly associated with education, rank, haven received PC information from a health worker and being knowledgeable of signs of PC. Conclusion We recommend that management of the GAF should liaise with the Ministry of Health to sensitize and educate soldiers on prostate cancer, and if possible, organize periodic screening activities for the soldiers to aid in early detection and effective management of the disease. The findings of this study provide valuable information for health interventions in Ghana.

Download Full-text

Health Care Utilization and Symptom Severity in Ghanaian Children – a Cross-Sectional Study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0080598 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. e80598 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Ralf Krumkamp ◽

Nimako Sarpong ◽

Benno Kreuels ◽

Lutz Ehlkes ◽

Wibke Loag ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Utilization ◽

Symptom Severity ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Care Utilization ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

Download Full-text

Medication and symptom severity in schizophrenia patients in COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Medicine Science | International Medical Journal ◽

10.5455/medscience.2021.03.085 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 860

Author(s):

Asli Kazgan ◽

Sevler Yildiz ◽

Osman Kurt ◽

Sevda Korkmaz

Keyword(s):

Symptom Severity ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

Download Full-text

Neck circumference and clustered cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents: cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016048 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (9) ◽

pp. e016048 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

José Castro-Piñero ◽

Alvaro Delgado-Alfonso ◽

Luis Gracia-Marco ◽

Sonia Gómez-Martínez ◽

Irene Esteban-Cornejo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Body Composition ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Screening Tool ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cvd Risk Factors ◽

Cvd Risk ◽

Cross Sectional

ObjectiveEarly detection of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as obesity, is crucial to prevent adverse long-term effects on individuals’ health. Therefore, the aims were: (1) to explore the robustness of neck circumference (NC) as a predictor of CVD and examine its association with numerous anthropometric and body composition indices and (2) to release sex and age-specific NC cut-off values to classify youths as overweight/obese.DesignCross-sectional study.Setting23 primary schools and 17 secondary schools from Spain.Participants2198 students (1060 girls), grades 1–4 and 7–10.MeasuresPubertal development, anthropometric and body composition indices, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, respectively), cardiorespiratory fitness, blood sampling triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), glucose and inflammatory markers. Homoeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and cluster of CVD risk factors were calculated.ResultsNC was positively correlated with all anthropometric and body composition indices. NC was negatively associated with maximum oxygen consumption (R2=0.231, p<0.001 for boys; R2=0.018, p<0.001 for girls) and positively associated with SBP, DBP, TC/HDL-c, TG, HOMA, complement factors C-3 and C-4, leptin, adiponectin and clustered CVD risk factor in both sexes (R2from 0.035 to 0.353, p<0.01 for boys; R2from 0.024 to 0.215, p<0.001 for girls). Moreover, NC was positively associated with serum C reactive protein, LDL-c and visfatin only in boys (R2from 0.013 to 0.107, p<0.05).ConclusionNC is a simple, low-cost and practical screening tool of excess of upper body obesity and CVD risk factors in children and adolescents. Paediatricians can easily use it as a screening tool for overweight/obesity in children and adolescents. For this purpose, sex and age-specific thresholds to classify children and adolescents as normal weight or overweight/obese are provided.

Download Full-text

Nailfold capillary morphological characteristics of hand-arm vibration syndrome: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012983 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (11) ◽

pp. e012983 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

QingSong Chen ◽

GuiPing Chen ◽

Bin Xiao ◽

HanSheng Lin ◽

HongYing Qu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Vibration Syndrome ◽

Cross Sectional

Download Full-text

Accuracy and Incremental Yield of the Chest X-Ray in Screening for Tuberculosis in Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study

Tuberculosis Research and Treatment ◽

10.1155/2021/6622809 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Joanitah Nalunjogi ◽

Frank Mugabe ◽

Irene Najjingo ◽

Pastan Lusiba ◽

Francis Olweny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Screening Tool ◽

Screening Method ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Case Detection ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

X Ray ◽

Number Needed To Screen ◽

Screening Algorithm ◽

Chest X Ray

The WHO END TB strategy requires ≥90% case detection to combat tuberculosis (TB). Increased TB case detection requires a more sensitive and specific screening tool. Currently, the symptoms recommended for screening TB have been found to be suboptimal since up to 44% of individuals with TB are asymptomatic. The chest X-ray (CXR) as a screening tool for pulmonary TB was evaluated in this study, as well as its incremental yield in TB diagnosis using a cross-sectional study involving secondary analysis of data of 4512 consented/assented participants ≥15 years who participated in the Uganda National TB prevalence survey between 2014 and 2015. Participants with a cough ≥2 weeks, fever, weight loss, and night sweats screened positive for TB using the symptoms screening method, while participants with a TB defining abnormality on CXR screened positive for TB by the CXR screening method. The Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) culture was used as a gold standard for TB diagnosis. The CXR had 93% sensitivity and 65% specificity compared to LJ culture results, while symptoms had 76% sensitivity and 31% specificity. The screening algorithm involving the CXR in addition to symptoms led to a 38% increment in the yield of diagnosed tuberculosis. The number needed to screen using the CXR and symptoms screening algorithm was 32 compared to 45 when the symptoms are used alone. Therefore, the CXR in combination with symptoms is a good TB screening tool and increases the yield of diagnosed TB.

Download Full-text

Hypertensive retinal changes, a screening tool to predict microalbuminuria in hypertensive patients: a cross-sectional study

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation ◽

10.1093/ndt/gfp726 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 25 (6) ◽

pp. 1839-1845 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

G. P. S. Shantha ◽

A. A. Kumar ◽

E. Bhaskar ◽

K. Sivagnanam ◽

D. Srinivasan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Screening Tool ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hypertensive Patients

Download Full-text

Detecting neurodevelopmental problems in children aged 1-5 years using the simple parent-reported screening tool in combination with primitive reflex assessment

Paediatrica Indonesiana ◽

10.14238/pi60.1.2020.31-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 31-6

Author(s):

Nicholas Calvin ◽

Yetty Ramli

Keyword(s):

Physiological Psychology ◽

Neurological Disorders ◽

Screening Tool ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Developmental Screening ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Primitive Reflexes ◽

Neurodevelopmental Problems ◽

Tonic Neck Reflex

Background The Kuesioner Pra Skrining Perkembangan/DPsQ (Developmental Pre-screening Questionnaire/DPsQ) is a series of questions and instructions used as a developmental screening tool for children aged 3 months to 6 years. However, the DPsQ cannot fully detect the soft signs of future neurological disorders. However, the retained primitive reflex assessment as an adjunct to the DPsQ may be useful for such detection. Objective To determine whether assessing for retained primitive reflexes can add to the usefulness of DPsQ as a neurodevelopmental screen in children aged 1 to 5 years. Methods This cross-sectional study included children aged 1-5 years. Developmental screening was done using the DPsQ and retained primitive reflex assessment was performed using the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology (INPP) screening and scoring guideline. Results Of 46 subjects, 56.8% of children with normal DPsQ scores had not retained primitive reflexes, while 88.9% of children with suspect DPsQ score had retained primitive reflexes. Hence, children with suspect DPsQ score had a 10.5 times higher chance of retaining primitive reflexes (OR 10.50; 95%CI 1.19 to 92.73; P=0.034). Furthermore, 66.7-77.8% of children with suspect DPsQ score had retained the Moro reflex, asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (ATNR), and symmetrical tonic neck reflex (STNR). Neither gender nor age were significantly associated with either suspect DPsQ score or the presence of retained primitive reflexes. Conclusion The DPsQ results correlate to integration of primitive reflexes, with 10.50 greater odds of children with ‘suspect’ DPsQ scores to have retained primitive reflexes. As such, retained primitive reflexes is not useful as a primary screen for future neurological problems. However, a high percentage of children (43.2%) with normal DPsQ scores also have retained primitive reflexes.

Download Full-text